ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 4572
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JUNE 26, 2024
The Assembly Budget Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill
No. 4572.
This bill appropriates $101,696,535 from constitutionally
dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues, and various Green
Acres funds to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Of the total amount appropriated by the bill, $99,286,535 would be
used by the DEP to provide grants or loans, or both, to assist local
government units in the State to acquire or develop lands for recreation
and conservation purposes, and $2,410,000 would be used for the
DEP’s associated administrative costs. Of the total amount
appropriated by the bill, $24,321,885 is allocated for projects to
acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes, as identified in
section 4 of the bill, and $74,964,650 is allocated for projects to
develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, as identified in
section 5 of the bill.
Of the $24,321,885 sum being appropriated for projects to acquire
lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $20,766,435 is
allocated for planning incentive open space acquisition projects (i.e.,
projects located in municipalities and counties that have an open space
tax and an approved open space plan); $1,437,500 is allocated for
standard open space acquisition projects (i.e., projects located in
municipalities that do not have an open space tax); $459,950 is
allocated for site-specific incentive acquisition projects (i.e., projects
located in municipalities that have an open space tax, but do not have
an open space plan); and $1,658,000 is allocated for urban aid
acquisition projects.
Of the $74,964,650 sum being appropriated for projects to develop
lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $29,429,150 is
allocated for local park development projects in urban aid
municipalities or sponsored by densely populated counties; $7,556,770
is allocated for local park development projects in densely or highly
populated municipalities or sponsored by highly populated counties;
$3,072,700 is allocated for standard local park development projects
(i.e., projects located in municipalities that do not meet the criteria of
the prior two categories); $1,758,610 is allocated for stewardship
activity projects; and $33,147,420 is allocated for completely inclusive
playground projects, pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.104
(C.13:8C-27.1), otherwise known as “Jake’s Law.” While Green 2
Acres funding for Jake’s Law purposes has, in prior funding rounds,
been made available only to eligible counties, in the current funding
round, both counties and municipalities are eligible for non-
competitive grant awards for completely inclusive playground projects
thereunder.
The bill defines a “densely or highly populated municipality” as a
municipality with a population density of at least 5,000 persons per
square mile or a population of at least 35,000 persons; a “densely
populated county” as a county with a population density of at least
5,000 persons per square mile; and a “highly populated county” as a
county with a population density of at least 1,000 persons per square
mile.
The projects listed in the bill have been approved by the DEP and
the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT).
To the extent that there are funds remaining after the local
government unit projects listed in this bill are offered funding, the bill
also authorizes the DEP, with the approval of the Joint Budget
Oversight Committee (JBOC), to use those funds to provide additional
funding for local government unit projects listed in this bill, as well as
for local government unit projects previously approved for funding
pursuant to various other laws.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.