Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $75 million from Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund to DEP for capital construction projects in State parks, forests, and wildlife management areas.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act making a State capital construction project appropriation from the Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection for capital construction projects in State parks, forests, and wildlife management areas.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that New Jersey's State parks, forests, and wildlife management areas serve more than 15 million visitors per year, approximately ninety percent of whom are New Jersey residents, but limited resources have left many State parks, forests, and wildlife management areas in disrepair despite increasing demands. The Legislature further finds and declares that financing capital improvements to the State park and forest system and the State wildlife management area system will substantially further the public interest.
2. a. There is appropriated from the Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection the sum of $75,000,000 to fund the capital costs of State capital construction projects for State parks and forests, as defined in subsection e. of section 3 of the “State Park and Forestry Resources Act,” P.L.1983, c.324 (C.13:1L-3), and for State wildlife management areas, based upon a priority list of specific projects identified by specific purpose, amount, and location by place name, municipality, and county, to be prepared by the Department of Environmental Protection and submitted to (1) the State Treasurer, and (2) the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly for introduction in the Legislature as a concurrent resolution of approval.
b. No monies appropriated pursuant to subsection a. of this section may be expended for any project unless the project is identified on a priority list prepared pursuant to subsection a. of this section which has been approved by adoption of a concurrent resolution of both Houses of the Legislature. The Legislature may approve all or part of any such priority list.
c. Any transfer of appropriated funds between approved projects shall require the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee or its successor.
3. This act shall take effect immediately but shall remain inoperative until enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No.1471 of 2006 or Assembly Bill No. of 2006).
STATEMENT
This bill appropriates $75 million from the Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to fund the capital costs of State capital construction projects for State parks and forests and for State wildlife management areas, based upon a priority list of specific projects identified by specific purpose, amount, and location by place name, municipality, and county, to be prepared by the DEP and submitted to (1) the State Treasurer, and (2) the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly for introduction in the Legislature as a concurrent resolution of approval. No monies appropriated pursuant to the bill could be expended for any project unless the project is identified on a priority list which has been approved by adoption of a concurrent resolution of both Houses of the Legislature. The Legislature may approve all or part of any such priority list.
The bill also provides that transfers of appropriated funds between approved projects would require the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
The State’s parks, forests, and wildlife management areas serve more than 15 million visitors annually, approximately ninety percent of whom are New Jersey residents, but limited resources have left many of these State facilities in disrepair despite increasing demands.