Matthew Peterson

Matt served as General Counsel and Associate Executive Director at the New Jersey Senate Democratic Office, where he provided legal and policy advice to senators, crafted legislation, and advised members on rules, procedures, and ethics. Matt also served as lead aide to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he helped conduct the Senate's advice and consent vetting of the Governor's nominees and worked on legislation concerning criminal justice reform, mental health courts, and cannabis. Prior to joining the Senate Majority Office, Matt served as Senior Counsel in the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, where he staffed the Senate Environment Committee and drafted New Jersey's first-in-the-nation environmental justice law, the single-use plastics ban, and a law requiring the replacement of lead service lines in dwellings. Matt is a lifelong New Jersey resident; and you will not meet a bigger advocate for the State than him. At SPIA, Matt hopes to dive deeper into policies concerning climate change and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and perhaps translate those policies into actionable legislation at the State or federal level.