Sen. Joe Lagana

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new licensing and operational standards for residential mental health treatment facilities in New Jersey. It requires these facilities to provide comprehensive 24/7 care consistent with medical guidelines, prohibits retrospective medical necessity reviews, and mandates licensing from the Commissioner of Health. The bill directly affects facilities offering residential mental health care (excluding hospital-based programs or substance use facilities) and the patients they serve. Key provisions include mandatory licensing, location restrictions (banning co-location with substance use facilities), and requiring the commissioner to adopt minimum care standards within 90 days.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1410) updates New Jersey statutory law to change the title "physician assistant" to "physician associate" in multiple sections of existing law, including those governing assisted reproductive technology and parentage. It specifically amends sections of P.L.1983, c.17 (C.9:17-44) and P.L.2018, c.18 (C.9:17-60 et seq.), where the term "physician assistant" appears in definitions and procedures. The change affects medical professionals licensed as physician assistants under New Jersey law and ensures consistency with current professional terminology. This is a purely procedural update to statutory language with no substantive change to reproductive rights, parentage laws, or medical practice rules. The bill does not alter how assisted reproduction is regulated or who is involved in the process.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides tax credits to New Jersey-based small businesses during their first three years of operation. To qualify, a business must be registered in New Jersey, operate primarily within the state, have no more than 50 employees, and earn under $100,000 in net income during its first profitable year. The credit covers 75% of the business’s gross income tax in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in year three. Businesses must obtain prior written authorization from the state tax director to claim the credit, proving the business isn’t related to other existing operations created solely for the credit benefit.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes compensation college athletes earn for using their name, image, or likeness tax-free in New Jersey. It applies only to athletes at four-year colleges or universities in New Jersey, excluding up to $100,000 annually from state income tax. The exclusion specifically covers earnings permitted under New Jersey’s existing "Fair Play Act," which allows athletes to profit from their name, image, or likeness. It does not create new compensation but changes the tax treatment of existing NIL (name, image, likeness) earnings.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1406) would amend New Jersey's tax code to exclude contributions to certain retirement savings plans from taxable gross income. It directly affects New Jersey residents who contribute to qualifying retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s or IRAs, by reducing their taxable income for state tax purposes. The key provision changes the definition of "New Jersey gross income" under N.J.S.54A:5-1 to exclude these specific retirement contributions. This would lower state tax liability for eligible taxpayers without altering federal tax treatment. The bill is currently in the introduction stage (2026) and has not yet been debated or voted on.

Maddy summaryThis bill standardizes retirement benefits for New Jersey public employees by removing tiered membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). It transfers all current non-retired PERS members to "Tier 1" (the benefits tier for those enrolled before July 2007), ensuring they receive identical retirement and health benefits as pre-2007 members. It also automatically transfers service credit from the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) to PERS for DCRP participants, though their contributions remain in DCRP, and gives them 6 months to opt out. Additionally, it requires public employers to enroll eligible employees (earning above minimum salary but not meeting hour requirements) into PERS within 60 days. Changes apply only to retirement applications processed after the bill’s effective date.

Maddy summarySCR 27 proposes a constitutional amendment to guarantee all New Jersey residents a fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment, including clean air, pure water, safe climate, and healthy habitats. It designates the State as the trustee of all natural resources (waters, air, lands, wildlife, and climate) for both current and future generations, requiring the state to conserve and maintain these resources for public benefit. The amendment would be self-executing, meaning courts could enforce it directly without new laws, and it explicitly states these rights are in addition to existing environmental protections. This change would apply to all New Jersey residents and require the state government to uphold these environmental rights through its actions and policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1419) clarified that real estate salespersons and broker-salespersons in New Jersey may form limited liability companies (LLCs) or other permitted entities to receive their commissions directly, without disrupting their contractual relationship with their employing broker. It updated existing law to explicitly permit this arrangement, ensuring commissions paid through such entities would not affect the broker-salesperson business affiliation defined in their written agreement. The bill was withdrawn in January 2026 because the same clarification had already been enacted into law through P.L.2025, c.271. As a result, the policy change was already in effect and did not require new legislation.

Maddy summaryS 1387 requires New Jersey professional licensing boards (e.g., for nurses, engineers) to collect data from other states on average application approval times for initial credentials. Boards must calculate a national average time for each profession and use it as their mandated timeline for processing new applications. If a board misses this average, it must use licensing fees to hire outside experts to identify improvements, with a six-month follow-up review. The bill mandates initial data collection within six months of enactment, annual accuracy reviews, and requires boards to retain fee revenue until they meet the national average standard. This directly affects applicants waiting for licenses and the boards managing those processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1386) allows multiple independent health care providers in New Jersey to jointly negotiate with insurance carriers (health/dental plans) about non-fee-related policies affecting patient care. It directly affects licensed health care providers (like doctors and dentists) who practice in the same service area as a carrier, enabling them to form groups to discuss clinical policies rather than just payment rates. Key provisions cover topics such as medical necessity rules, referral standards, drug formularies, and utilization management (how insurers review care decisions). The goal is to give providers more negotiating power to improve care quality and access, countering carriers' current ability to unilaterally set terms. The bill aims to restore market balance while qualifying these joint negotiations for legal protection under antitrust laws.