SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4076

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 8, 2021

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 4076.

This bill appropriates up to $500,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs for the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee.  The appropriation is to support the commissioning of the USS New Jersey and the officers and crew assigned to the boat.  A ship’s commissioning is an historic event that brings together our military, veterans, and local community with significant economic benefits for the surrounding region.

      In May 2015, the Secretary of the Navy announced that the SSN-796, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine would be named after the State of New Jersey, becoming the third Naval vessel to carry the name.  The BB-16, a Virginia-class battleship and a member of the Great White Fleet, was the first ship to bear the name the U.S.S. New Jersey and the BB-62, an Iowa-class battleship, better known as the Battleship New Jersey, the official State Ship, was the second ship to bear the name the U.S.S. New Jersey.  The Battleship New Jersey is now a museum and memorial moored on the Camden City Waterfront.

      The submarine is currently scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2022.  Contributions to the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee support traditional Commissioning Week activities, visits to the State by crewmembers, and habitability upgrades to the boat for the crew.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.