ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 5121
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 16, 2024
The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably
Assembly Bill No. 5121.
This bill appropriates the sum of $49.5 million to the Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide funding for the
acquisition by the State of lands for recreation and conservation
purposes, including for Blue Acres projects, pursuant to the “Preserve
New Jersey Act,” P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.).
The funding in this bill is provided from constitutionally dedicated
corporation business tax (CBT) revenues pursuant to Article VIII,
Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution, approved by the
voters of the State in November 2014. The “Preserve New Jersey Act”
implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open
space, farmland, and historic preservation. The act provides for a
certain amount of the portion of dedicated CBT revenues, which are
allocated each year for the Green Acres program, to be used for: (1)
the acquisition of lands for open space, including Blue Acres projects,
and the undertaking of development projects on State lands
administered by the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division
of Parks and Forestry; (2) the funding of grants and loans for local
government open space acquisition and development projects; and (3)
the funding of grants, to nonprofit entities, for the acquisition and
development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes.
This bill appropriates moneys for State open space acquisition
projects, including for Blue Acres projects. Specifically, this bill
appropriates $23.725 million to the DEP to provide funding for the
acquisition of lands, by the State, for recreation and conservation
purposes. This appropriation allocates funding for the State’s
acquisition, for recreation and conservation purposes, of lands located
throughout New Jersey, within the 14 project categories identified in
section 1 of the bill. The bill also appropriates $23.725 million to the
DEP to provide funding for the State’s acquisition, for recreation and
conservation purposes, of properties located throughout New Jersey
which are prone to or have incurred flood or storm damage, or which
may buffer or protect other lands from such damage (i.e., “Blue Acres”
projects). In addition, section 3 of the bill appropriates $2.05 million
to the DEP for the purposes of paying administrative costs associated
with administering the applicable provisions of the “Preserve New
Jersey Act.” Of the total funds appropriated in the bill, the sum of 2
$7.517 million is available due to interest earnings on the
constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues.
The “Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund” was established by
section 6 of the “Preserve New Jersey Act.” The “Preserve New
Jersey Blue Acres Fund,” established by section 7 of the “Preserve
New Jersey Act,” P.L.2019, c.136, amended the “Preserve New Jersey
Act” to incorporate the purposes of the “Preserve New Jersey Blue
Acres Fund” into the “Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund,” rather
than having two separate funds both providing moneys to the DEP for
the acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes. Of
the funding allocated for the State’s acquisition of lands for recreation
and conservation purposes, a minimum of 10 percent is to be allocated
for Blue Acres projects.
The projects and appropriations listed in this bill have been
approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust.
The bill also authorizes the DEP to re-distribute certain other
moneys, which are made available as a result of project cancellations
or cost savings, in order to provide additional funding, for recreation
and conservation purposes, to previously approved and funded State
projects, subject to the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight
Committee. The bill further authorizes such additional funding, if
provided from a Green Acres bond act, to include administrative costs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.