Approp.

 


P.L. 2019, CHAPTER 452, approved January 21, 2020

Senate, No. 4279

 

 


An Act appropriating $1,350,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations 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 $1,350,000 from dedicated corporation business tax revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution 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), for the purpose of providing grants to qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations listed in subsection b. of this section for up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of development easements on farmland or for up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the committee. 

     b.    The following projects are eligible for funding with the monies appropriated pursuant to subsection a. of this section:

 

Applicant

(Project)

Farm

County

Municipality

Amount of

 Grant Not

  to Exceed

 

The Land Conservancy of New Jersey

 

 

 

$933,600

 

Santini, Matthew, Robert & Sharon

 

Warren

FranklinTwp

 

 

 

Rogers, Daniel & Flaherty, Sioban

 

Warren

Frelinghuysen Twp

 

 

 

Black, David & Shannon

 

Warren

Hardwick Twp

 

 

Santini, Robert A. Jr. & Sarah E.

 

Warren

Washington Twp

 

 

Kimball, Kent D.

 

 

 

 

Warren

White Twp

 

Monmouth Conservation Foundation

 

 

 

$317,900

 

Lohmeyer, Edward H. & Hogan, Patricia M.

 

Monmouth

Upper Freehold Twp

 

 

New Jersey Conservation Foundation

 

 

 

$98,500

 

Pepper, Albertus V. Jr. & Cathy L.

Burlington

Woodland Twp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     2.    There is appropriated from the General Fund to 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), the sum of $1,350,000 to implement the provisions of this act.

 

     3.    The expenditure of the sums appropriated by this act is subject to the provisions and conditions of P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-1 et seq.), and P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.), as appropriate.

 

     4.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would appropriate $1,350,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation purposes. 

     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,” P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation.  The “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund” was established pursuant to section 8 of the “Preserve New Jersey Act.

     Specifically, the bill would appropriate funds for grants to three qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations for (1) up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of development easements on farmland for farmland preservation purposes, or (2) up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the SADC.

     The allocations and projects listed in this bill have been approved by the SADC and the Garden State Preservation Trust.

 

 

                                

 

     Appropriates $1,350,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to certain nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes.