Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman ANDREA KATZ
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
Assemblywoman HEATHER SIMMONS
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act appropriating $128.241 million from various farmland preservation funds to the State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is appropriated to the State Agriculture Development Committee the sum of $115,091,000 from corporation business tax revenues dedicated pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution and available in the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 8 of the Preserve New Jersey Act, P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), to pay the cost of acquisition by the committee of development easements on, or fee simple titles to, farmland, to provide grants to counties and municipalities for up to 80 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland, and to provide grants to qualifying tax-exempt non-profit organizations for up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland, for farmland preservation purposes for projects approved as eligible for such funding pursuant to the Agricultural Retention and Development Act, P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.), the Garden State Preservation Trust Act, P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-1 et seq.), and the Preserve New Jersey Act, P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.). Of the amount appropriated pursuant to this subsection, the sum of $7,702,000 is available due to interest earnings on the dedicated corporation business tax revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution.
b. Any farmland acquired in fee simple with monies appropriated pursuant to this section shall be offered for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the committee.
2. There is appropriated from the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 8 of the Preserve New Jersey Act, P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), from the 2009 Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 18 of the Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009, P.L.2009, c.117, from the 2007 Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 18 of the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007, P.L.2007, c.119, from the Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, established pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-20), from the 1999 Open Space Fund, established pursuant to the Open Space Local Match Program of the Fiscal Year 1999 annual appropriations act, P.L.1998, c.45, from the 1995 Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 25 of the Green Acres, Farmland and Historic Preservation, and Blue Acres Bond Act of 1995, P.L.1995, c.204, from the 1992 Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 24 of the Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 1992, P.L.1992, c.88, from the 1989 Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 22 of the Open Space Preservation Bond Act of 1989, P.L.1989, c.183, and from the Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 5 of the Farmland Preservation Bond Act of 1981, P.L.1981, c.276, to the State Agriculture Development Committee, such sums from any additional proceeds which may become available by the effective date of this act due to the lease or conveyance of land or development easements acquired or funded by the committee, for the purpose of providing for the cost of acquisition, by the committee, of development easements and fee simple titles to farmland for farmland preservation purposes pursuant to subsection a. of section 1 of this act.
Any farmland acquired in fee simple with monies appropriated pursuant to this section shall be offered for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the committee.
3. a. As used in this section, farmland acquisition means: the acquisition by the State Agriculture Development Committee of development easements on, or fee simple titles to, farmland; the issuance of grants by the committee to counties and municipalities for the acquisition of development easements on, or fee simple titles to, farmland; and the issuance of grants by the committee to qualifying tax-exempt non-profit organizations for the acquisition of development easements on, or fee simple titles to, farmland for farmland preservation purposes.
b. There is appropriated to the State Agriculture Development Committee an amount not to exceed $13,150,000, subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting, from the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, established pursuant to section 8 of the Preserve New Jersey Act, P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), as follows:
(1) an amount not to exceed $12,000,000, subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting, for the purpose of providing funding for organizational, administrative, and other work and services, including salaries, equipment, materials, and services necessary to administer the applicable provisions of P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), a portion of which amount shall be allocated to the committee at the end of the six-month period immediately following the effective date of this act, and each six-month period thereafter, based on the calculation provided pursuant to subsection c. of this section;
(2) $1,000,000 for the purpose of providing funding for costs associated with the acquisition, by the committee, of development easements on farmland, including, but not limited to, appraisal, survey, and title costs; and
(3) $150,000 for the purpose of providing funding for costs associated with legal advice and representation in connection with the committees enforcement of development easements acquired for farmland preservation purposes pursuant to P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.).
c. (1) No later than the first day of the seventh month following the effective date of this act, and every six months thereafter, the committee shall submit a written report to the Director of Budget and Accounting, which report shall indicate:
(a) the amount expended by the committee for farmland acquisition, from the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 1 of this act, during the immediately preceding six-month period;
(b) the amount available for expenditure by the committee for farmland acquisition, from the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 1 of this act, upon the commencement of the immediately preceding six-month period; and
(c) the proportional