Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ERIC HOUGHTALING
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Swain and McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Directs Department of Agriculture to advertise and promote State aquaculture products through Jersey Fresh Program; establishes annual $100,000 appropriation; appropriates $100,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the promotion of aquaculture products through the Jersey Fresh Program, supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. In addition to any monies otherwise appropriated or allocated to the Jersey Fresh Program, there shall be annually appropriated $100,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture for the sole purpose of the promotion of aquaculture products produced in the State as part of the Jersey Fresh Program.
b. The department shall develop and implement, as part of the Jersey Fresh Program, a program to advertise and promote aquaculture products produced in the State, and shall allocate the monies appropriated pursuant to subsection a. of this section to the program’s advertising and promotion of aquaculture products.
c. As used in this section:
“Department” means the Department of Agriculture.
“Jersey Fresh Program” means the same as that term is defined in section 1 of P.L.2017, c.197 (C.54A:9-25.44).
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture the sum of $100,000 for the purpose of the promotion of aquaculture products produced in the State as part of the Jersey Fresh Program.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes an annual appropriation of $100,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture for the sole purpose of the promotion of aquaculture products produced in the State as part of the Jersey Fresh Program, and makes an appropriation of $100,000 from the General Fund for that purpose.
The bill directs the department to allocate the $100,000 appropriation and the annual appropriation to the program’s advertising and promotion of aquaculture products produced in the State. The bill also specifies the annual appropriation is to be in addition to any monies otherwise appropriated or allocated to the Jersey Fresh Program.
As defined in the bill, the Jersey Fresh Program includes Jersey Seafood for aquacultured and wild-caught fish and shellfish, as well as Jersey Fresh for fruits and vegetables, Jersey Grown for nursery crops, Jersey Equine for equine livestock, and Made with Jersey Fresh for processed food made with New Jersey sourced agricultural products.