Sen. Carmen Amato

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 88, introduced by Senator Carmen Amato, urges Congress to expand Veterans Affairs education benefits to include veterans discharged with a "general discharge under honorable conditions." Currently, these veterans - discharged for minor issues like weight standards or minor disciplinary actions (not serious misconduct) - are excluded from educational benefits despite qualifying for all other veterans' benefits. The resolution requests Congress amend the law to align with the GI Bill's historical expansion, allowing these veterans to access tuition assistance and other education benefits. It does not change current law but formally asks federal lawmakers to address this eligibility gap.

Maddy summaryS 3060 requires all health insurance carriers in New Jersey to cover annual prostate cancer screening without out-of-pocket costs for men aged 40 to 75. This expands current law, which previously only mandated coverage for men 50+ or 40+ with risk factors, by broadening the age range and defining "prostate cancer screening" to include digital rectal exams, PSA tests, and follow-up diagnostics like imaging and biomarker tests. The bill applies to all health plans, including group policies, HMOs, individual plans, and state health benefit programs. It takes effect 90 days after enactment for all new or renewed contracts.

Maddy summaryS 2984 extends the closing time for polling places from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM on election days across New Jersey. This change affects all voters, election officials, and municipal clerk offices that handle election operations on election day. Early voting sites would also extend their hours from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sundays. The bill also adjusts the working hours for minors serving at elections, extending their permitted work time until 10:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM. This change aims to provide more flexibility for voters who may need to cast their ballots later in the evening.

Maddy summaryS 1649 creates a new crime called "fiscal victimization" targeting financial exploitation of senior citizens (60+) or people with disabilities. It makes it illegal to commit theft or specific financial crimes against these groups, with strict liability - perpetrators cannot claim they didn’t know the victim was vulnerable. Penalties are increased: the offense is graded one level higher than the underlying theft (e.g., a disorderly persons offense becomes a fourth-degree crime), and courts must impose separate sentences for both the theft and fiscal victimization. The bill directly affects vulnerable adults and those who exploit them financially, with definitions including people disabled under Social Security criteria or age 60+.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to prioritize energy security, diversity, and affordability when updating the state's Energy Master Plan. It mandates the BPU to conduct detailed cost and impact analyses for all energy generation projects and the Master Plan itself, including breakdowns of financial effects on ratepayers, state/local governments, and infrastructure costs. The plan must limit intermittent energy sources (like wind/solar) to no more than 50% of the state's energy portfolio and prioritize in-state energy generation to reduce subsidies for out-of-state sources. These changes directly affect the BPU, ratepayers (through potential cost impacts), and energy developers (requiring pre-approval analyses), while ensuring public transparency via online analysis publications and annual committee testimony.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Assembly Resolution (AR 110) urges the U.S. President and Congress to enact the "Humane Cosmetics Act of 2023" (H.R.5399), a federal bill that would ban animal testing for cosmetics and prohibit the sale of cosmetics developed using animal testing. If passed, the Act would require cosmetics manufacturers to use non-animal testing methods and stop selling products tested on animals in interstate commerce. The resolution notes the federal bill has support from over 370 cosmetics companies and bipartisan cosponsors, and would align U.S. policy with more than 30 countries that have already banned animal testing for cosmetics. As a resolution, it does not create new law but advocates for federal action.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases annual property tax deductions for three groups: senior citizens (65+ or permanently disabled), persons with disabilities, and veterans (and surviving spouses), raising the amount from $250 to $500 per year. It applies to property taxes paid on real property owned or occupied by eligible residents. The change would take effect in 2024 but requires prior voter approval of a constitutional amendment to become active. The bill does not alter existing income eligibility rules or other tax benefits.

Maddy summaryS 2778 requires local governments to be notified when a sex offender registers with municipal police or moves to a municipality without a police force (via state police notification). It prohibits sex offenders assessed as moderate or high risk of re-offending from living within 500 feet of schools, child care centers, or playgrounds, with four exceptions: residing at a correctional or mental health facility, having established residence before the law took effect, or if a school/center was built near their home after they moved in. Violating this prohibition is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The bill applies specifically to sex offenders under New Jersey’s registration requirements who meet the risk assessment criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates tax benefits for "lifelong learning accounts" to help New Jersey residents pay for education and training. It allows individuals to exclude up to $2,500 in employer contributions from taxable income, and provides tax credits for personal contributions (50% of the first $500 or $1,000 for joint filers, then 25% for additional amounts). Employers can receive tax credits equal to 25% of contributions made to employees' accounts, up to $2,500 per employee per year, with small businesses eligible for additional credits for administrative costs. Accounts must be used exclusively for qualified education expenses like courses, training, apprenticeships, and related materials (not recreational purposes), and distributions for non-qualified purposes incur a 5% penalty. The accounts are available to taxpayers aged 18-70 who contribute to their own accounts or receive employer contributions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires local prosecutors to assess the risk of re-offense for sex offenders *before* they are released from prison, rather than after release as under current law. It removes the factor of the offender's future residence (which previously delayed risk assessment) and mandates prosecutors to evaluate specific criteria like criminal history, treatment response, and behavior. Based on this assessment, offenders are assigned to one of three risk levels, triggering different notification requirements: low-risk offenders prompt law enforcement alerts, moderate-risk offenders add community organization notifications (like schools), and high-risk offenders trigger public alerts. The bill directly affects sex offenders nearing release, prosecutors, and communities through revised notification protocols under New Jersey's Megan's Law.