Gerald Scharfenberger

This bill imposes a 19.75% annual tax on Internet sports wagering and other forms of internet gambling. CPAC opposes tax increases and also believes that it is ethically questionable for the state government to cash in on addiction by squeezing even more money out of gamblers. CPAC opposed the bill. The Assembly passed the bill on June 30, 2025 by a vote of 46-33 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This bill raises the “mansion tax” on high value real estate. CPAC recognizes that this bill will cause some people who would have bought “mansions” to buy ordinary homes instead, thus driving up the price of housing for everyone. CPAC also opposes tax increases and opposed the bill. The Assembly passed the bill on June 30, 2025 by a vote of 41-37 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This bill raises the excise tax on cigarettes and other nicotine products. CPAC believes that people have the right to consume tobacco products and opposes tax increases. CPAC opposed the bill. The Assembly passed the bill on June 30, 2025 by a vote of 46-33 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This is a continuing appropriations bill that allows the New Jersey state government to spend even more money. New Jersey’s budget has already grown 62% during Governor Phil Murphy’s time in office. CPAC opposes reckless spending and opposed the bill. The Assembly passed the bill on June 30, 2025 by a vote of 53-27 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This bill prohibits state universities from entering into partnerships with sports gambling companies. CPAC believes that the law should allow gambling but also believes that public institutions should not actively support vice, so CPAC supported this bill. The bill passed the Assembly on February 27, 2025 by a vote of 75-0 and the bill later became law. The bill later passed the Senate.

This bill starts the process of mandating full day kindergarten and universal pre-school. CPAC opposes the cradle-to-grave bureaucracy and sees this bill as an insidious move to take even more time away from parents’ relationships with their own children. On June 30, 2025 the bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 53-25 and the bill later passed the Senate.

This bill advocates the establishment of a public health institute in New Jersey that will “study” the causes of health disparity, among other issues. CPAC believes that there is already too much bureaucracy in the healthcare system and opposed this bill. The Assembly passed the bill on March 24, 2025 by a vote of 50-27 and the bill later passed the Senate.

This bill allows pharmacists to transfer Schedule II prescriptions for hyperactivity attention deficit disorder to any pharmacy. CPAC supports those who need these drugs to more easily obtain them and supported this bill. The Assembly passed this bill by a vote of 75-0 on February 27, 2025 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This bill creates criminal penalties for using AI to create deepfakes. CPAC believes the bill is overly broad and could be used to crack down on political satire and other forms of Constitutionally protected speech. CPAC opposed the bill. The bill passed the Assembly on March 24, 2025 by a vote of 64-13 and the bill also passed the Senate.

This bill bans the sale or possession of what is described as a machine gun conversion device. Machine guns are already banned and CPAC views this as a foot in the door for gun control and opposed this bill. The Assembly passed the bill on March 24, 2025 by a vote of 53-22 but the bill was not taken up by the Senate.

This bill establishes the crime of possessing digital instructions to illegally manufacture firearms and firearm components. This means a ban on the files which are used to create gun parts with a 3D printer. CPAC strongly supports the right to bear arms and opposed this bill. The Assembly passed the bill on March 24, 2025 by a vote of 50-26 but the bill was not given a vote by the full Senate. Due to the importance of this issue, this vote is double-rated.

This bill establishes standards for determining an “unconscionable” rent increase. CPAC is certain the standards will change after being imposed and is the first step to rent control where the government sets the price and opposed this bill. The Assembly passed the bill on May 22, 2025 by a vote of 50-25 but the bill was not brought up in the Senate.