Rep. Dawn Fantasia

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study whether microgrids and backup generators could shorten prolonged power outages. The BPU must complete a report within six months, comparing New Jersey's grid performance to other states, assessing how microgrids/generators reduced outages elsewhere, and consulting with utilities and experts. The study must also evaluate costs for ratepayers, municipalities, and utilities. The report will inform recommendations to improve the state's grid resilience and reliability.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows veterans residing in New Jersey's state-run veterans' residential facilities (including memorial homes and Veterans Haven facilities) to have dogs certified as either service animals or emotional support animals. It permits these animals without requiring federal-level service animal training standards for emotional support animals, which federal VA policy does not cover. Facilities must verify documentation confirming the animal's training, task description, and current rabies/core vaccinations (distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus-2). Other animals are prohibited unless for law enforcement or specific VA research purposes, and facilities may restrict or remove animals only for safety reasons like aggression or health risks.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey municipalities to submit copies of all property tax abatement and exemption agreements to their county chief financial officer and county counsel within 10 days of signing. It directly affects local governments that grant short-term property tax breaks to developers or businesses. The key change shifts filing from the state Division of Local Government Services to county-level officials, while maintaining the existing requirement for municipalities to annually report tax exemption amounts to county officials by October 1. The bill updates existing law (P.L.1991, c.441) to streamline county oversight of these financial agreements.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes restrictions on motor vehicle registration fee exemptions for prisoners of war (POWs) and expands eligibility to include their spouses and surviving spouses. It eliminates the current limit of one vehicle per applicant, allowing POWs, their spouses (if married during captivity), and surviving spouses (who haven't remarried) to exempt multiple vehicles from MVC registration fees. The policy change applies to all active and reserve military members held as POWs, as certified by New Jersey’s Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs. Existing P.O.W. license plate provisions remain unchanged, but the fee exemption now covers registration costs for qualifying vehicles.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A1261 clarifies that law enforcement officers employed by schools, colleges, or universities may legally carry firearms on campus while performing their duties or commuting to/from work. The bill amends state law (N.J.S.2C:39-5) to explicitly exempt these officers from general prohibitions against firearms in educational settings, provided they have completed a firearms training course administered by the Police Training Commission. This policy change directly affects campus law enforcement officers who are already employed by educational institutions. The bill does not alter firearm possession rules for students, staff, or the public, nor does it address broader campus safety measures.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey local government units that follow civil service rules (Title 11A) to use a layoff plan instead of an employment reconciliation plan when entering into shared service agreements or joint meetings. The layoff plan must specify which employees will be transferred, retained, or terminated, and includes terminal leave payments of one month for every five years of service for those terminated. It also requires that employees with permanent civil service status who are terminated be placed on a special reemployment list. This change is intended to simplify the process for local governments entering into shared service agreements. The bill directly affects local government employees and civil service commissions in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow prosecutors to charge certain drug distribution offenses based on the number of "units" (such as individual pills, tablets, or packets) rather than the weight of controlled dangerous substances. It specifically changes the grading thresholds for heroin, LSD, methamphetamine, and cocaine, reducing the first-degree offense threshold for heroin from 5 ounces to 1 ounce and introducing unit-based measurements for all these substances. Under the bill, a person would face a first-degree charge for distributing 500 or more units of these substances, a second-degree charge for 100-499 units, and a third-degree charge for fewer than 100 units. This change aims to more accurately reflect the quantity of drugs distributed for substances commonly sold in discrete units rather than by weight. The bill applies only to distribution or possession with intent to distribute, not to simple possession offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how New Jersey municipalities calculate their affordable housing requirements. It adds specific factors for adjusting these requirements, including population size, water and sewer capacity, school class sizes, public safety services, and transportation impacts. The bill also establishes a population-based cap, limiting affordable housing obligations to no more than a 5% increase in municipal population over a 10-year period. This applies to all municipalities required to meet fair share affordable housing obligations under state law, aiming to balance housing needs with local service capacity.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow New Jersey homeowners to deduct the full amount of state property taxes paid on their principal residence from their gross income tax, removing the current $15,000 annual cap. It directly affects homeowners who pay state property taxes on their primary residence, as they would no longer be limited to deducting only up to $15,000 of those taxes. The key change eliminates the existing deduction limit, permitting full deduction of all qualifying property taxes paid in the calendar year. This applies to both homeowners and renters (who deduct "rent constituting property taxes"), but the bill specifically targets the property tax deduction cap for primary residences. The change would take effect for taxable years beginning January 1, 2022.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1118) revises New Jersey's tax rates for married couples filing jointly, aiming to reduce the "marriage penalty" where joint filers pay more tax than if they filed separately. It increases the threshold for the lowest tax bracket from $20,000 to $40,000 for joint filers and changes the tax rate for income between $40,000 and $70,000 from 2.5% to 1.75%. These changes apply to taxable years beginning January 1, 2020, and directly affect married couples who file joint tax returns in New Jersey.