Maddy summaryThis bill establishes specific contracting goals for New Jersey State agencies to increase participation by minority and women-owned businesses in state contracts. It sets detailed percentage targets (ranging from 3.95% to 37.59%) for different contract types and business categories based on a 2024 disparity study, including 24.26% for construction contracts with women-owned businesses and 10.14% for Hispanic American-owned businesses in construction. State agencies must develop annual plans to meet these goals, make a "good faith effort" to achieve them, and submit reports to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. If agencies fail to make a good faith effort, they must submit a remedial plan, and the Chief Diversity Officer can require their procurement be managed by another agency. Prime contractors are also required to make good faith efforts to meet subcontractor goals for these businesses.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySJR 127 designates September 14 of each year as "Latino Business Day" in New Jersey. The resolution requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation to raise public awareness of Latino-owned businesses' economic impact, which contribute over $800 billion annually to the U.S. economy and have grown 57% faster than white-owned businesses over the past decade. This ceremonial resolution does not create new laws or funding but aims to recognize Latino entrepreneurs' role in job creation (3.5 million workers nationwide) and economic growth. It aligns with National Support Latino Business Day, observed on the same date.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's bias intimidation law to specifically include Sikhism as a protected class, alongside existing categories like race, religion, and sexual orientation. It requires law enforcement to properly classify anti-Sikh hate crimes and provides $100,000 annually for three years to fund Sikh awareness education and outreach initiatives. The bill mandates training for law enforcement on Sikh identity features (such as turbans and beards) to prevent misclassification of hate incidents. It also requires public entities to incorporate anti-Sikh hate definitions into their bias policies and directs the Attorney General to develop educational programs about Sikhism for schools. These measures address the fact that Sikhs are the second-most targeted religious group for hate crimes in the U.S., with 198 anti-Sikh hate incidents reported by the FBI in 2023.
Maddy summaryThis bill designates the interchange between State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Route 295 as the "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange" to honor Ensign John R. Elliott, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate killed in a 2000 drunk driving accident. The bill requires that private funding - not public funds - be used for producing, erecting, and maintaining signs bearing this designation, with the New Jersey Department of Transportation authorized to accept gifts or grants from private entities for this purpose.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Child Care Revitalization Act to restrict $54.5 million in federal funds to licensed child care centers only, removing previous language that would have included registered family child care homes. It ensures facilities improvement grants - ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 - are available solely to licensed centers (not family child care providers) for projects like facility upgrades. The change formalizes an existing exclusion, as family child care providers were never eligible in the initial grant phase. The bill, signed into law as P.L.2024, c.50, directly affects licensed child care centers seeking federal recovery funds for physical improvements.
Maddy summaryS 2793 appropriates $1.723 million from two existing state funds - the constitutionally dedicated "Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund" (using CBT revenues) and the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" - to the State Agriculture Development Committee. The funds provide grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations for up to 50% of the cost to acquire development easements or fee simple titles on farmland, with the land maintained for agricultural use through deed restrictions. This directly supports five specific farmland preservation projects across Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren counties, as approved by the committee. The bill reallocates previously designated funds without creating new taxes or policies.
Maddy summaryS 2792 appropriates $500,000 from two state funds - $200,000 from constitutionally dedicated business tax revenues and $300,000 from the 2009 Farmland Preservation Fund - to the State Agriculture Development Committee. This funding provides a $500,000 grant to Washington Township in Warren County for municipal planning to preserve farmland. The grant is a direct allocation under existing farmland preservation programs, with Washington Township also potentially eligible for additional competitive grants from other funds. The bill specifically directs this $500,000 to Washington Township without requiring a separate application.
Maddy summarySR 106 is a non-binding Senate Resolution encouraging New Jersey and U.S. higher education institutions to address the underrepresentation of Hispanic and Latino leaders in university presidencies. It specifically urges schools to establish leadership development programs, diversify governing boards and search committees, and partner with organizations supporting Hispanic and Latino leadership advancement. The resolution cites data showing only 6% of U.S. college presidents identified as Hispanic or Latino in 2023 (with just one in New Jersey) despite Hispanic/Latino students making up 25% of New Jersey undergraduates. It does not create new laws but formally recognizes the need for inclusive leadership to better support diverse student experiences.
Maddy summaryS 3491 establishes legal protections for patients and healthcare providers accessing or providing reproductive health care (including abortion) and gender-affirming health care services in New Jersey. The bill defines "legally protected health care activity" as services lawful in New Jersey, regardless of where the patient resides, and creates criminal penalties for interfering with access to these services (such as obstructing facilities, intimidating patients, or recording individuals without consent). It also prohibits New Jersey from extraditing people for providing or seeking these services, protects patient privacy regarding these services, and specifies that fertilized eggs, embryos, or fetuses cannot have independent legal rights under New Jersey law. The bill applies to all individuals seeking or providing these services within New Jersey, including those traveling from states with restrictions on reproductive or gender-affirming care.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's official definition of anti-Semitism by adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, including its "contemporary examples," for use by state institutions. It requires state entities to consider this definition when reviewing or investigating potential anti-Semitic discrimination or bias crimes. The bill appropriates $100,000 to fund a public awareness campaign by the Attorney General's office, promoting the state's bias crimes reporting hotline and resources for identifying and reporting anti-Semitic incidents. The campaign aims to increase public understanding and reporting of bias crimes, particularly affecting Jewish communities and other vulnerable groups in New Jersey. The bill explicitly states it does not diminish First Amendment rights or conflict with existing anti-discrimination laws.