Maddy summaryThis bill requires public schools serving as polling places to create security plans ensuring voters cannot access or interact with students during elections. The plan must include a locked, separate voting area if school is in session, provided the school can implement it. It also clarifies that police officers may be present at senior residential centers or schools used as polling places only if requested by the center/school, must wear plain clothes, and cannot interfere with voters. Schools must notify election officials seven days before an election if requesting police presence, and all such requests trigger a chain of notifications to county and state election offices. The security plan requirement takes effect for the first election after the bill's enactment.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill requires public employees or officers in New Jersey to forfeit their pension benefits if convicted of specific crimes related to their public duties. It applies to offenses like bribery (N.J.S.2C:27-2), theft exceeding $10,000 (N.J.S.2C:20-4), perjury (N.J.S.2C:28-1), sexual assault (N.J.S.2C:14-2), or other serious crimes listed in Section 2(b). The pension forfeiture occurs automatically upon conviction unless a court grants a stay, and boards must consider factors like the crime's severity and connection to public duties before deciding partial forfeiture. Public pension recipients convicted of these offenses lose earned benefits but may receive a refund of their own contributions.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to provide all vehicle and licensing services - such as driver's license renewals, registration, and vehicle ownership transfers - in person at every MVC agency location. It prohibits the MVC from mandating online service completion or requiring appointments for these services, ensuring walk-in customers can access all services at any location. The bill reverses pandemic-era changes that split agency functions and required appointments, returning to pre-pandemic operations. It directly affects New Jersey residents needing MVC services by eliminating barriers to in-person access. The law takes effect four months after enactment, with the MVC allowed to prepare in advance.
Maddy summaryS 1162 adds Bergen County to the list of pilot counties for New Jersey's "Common Sense Shared Services Pilot Program Act." This bill expands the existing program - which allows municipalities to share certain tenured local employee services (like clerks, CFOs, or assessors) across municipal boundaries - to include Bergen County. Under the program, participating municipalities may enter shared services agreements that permit dismissing tenured employees not selected for these shared roles, with protections for reappointment if the agreement ends within two years. The bill does not create new rules but extends the current pilot program to Bergen County, joining seven other counties (Atlantic, Camden, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Sussex, and Warren).
Maddy summaryThis bill bans casino and sports wagering companies from advertising their services on internet platforms or mobile apps primarily designed for children under 12. It prohibits these companies from posting, distributing, or sponsoring such ads on any websites, apps, or web-based platforms targeting young children. The Division of Gaming Enforcement will create rules to enforce this ban and take legal action against violations. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.
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 upgrades burglary of a residence to a second-degree crime when a person was present during the offense, making it punishable by 5-10 years in prison (previously a third-degree crime with 3-5 years). It directly affects individuals convicted of entering or remaining in a home while occupants were present, requiring them to serve 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The law amends existing burglary statutes and enforces the "No Early Release Act" (NERA), which mandates this extended incarceration period for qualifying offenses. This change applies specifically to burglaries in occupied dwellings, not all burglary cases.
Maddy summaryS 2514 limits the Governor's authority to declare and extend states of emergency or public health emergencies in New Jersey. It requires the Legislature to approve any extension of an emergency declaration beyond 60 days through a majority vote in both chambers, after the Governor provides written notice at least seven business days in advance. The bill also mandates that emergency declarations automatically terminate after 60 days unless renewed by the Legislature, and prohibits the Governor from issuing duplicate declarations for the same emergency without new legislation. This directly affects how the Governor and Legislature manage emergency powers, ensuring legislative oversight of emergency declarations.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2432) helps National Guard and Reserve members who served at least 30 days of continuous active duty after September 11, 2001, and before the end of Operation Enduring Freedom or Freedom’s Sentinel. It allows them to have their names placed on a future eligible list for police officer or firefighter jobs if they previously passed the civil service exam but couldn’t complete employment due to military service. The bill also ensures that if they met the age requirement when the original list was created, they’re treated as meeting it when placed on the new list.
Maddy summaryS 1190 establishes a New Jersey legislative internship program specifically for veterans. It allows state legislators to hire eligible veterans as interns in their district offices, with approval from their chamber's presiding officer. To qualify, veterans must be honorably discharged, released within five years, at or below E-5/O-3 pay grades, and have at least a 20% service-connected disability (or be Purple Heart recipients); New Jersey residents receive priority. Interns would complete one work period (potentially extendable) performing legislative tasks under a legislator's direction, with the state seeking federal grants to support the program. The bill is currently pending in committee after introduction on January 13, 2026.