ASSEMBLY, No. 1140

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblywoman MURPHY and Assemblyman BLEE

An Act establishing a venison donation demonstration program.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. a. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture and the chairman of the Fish and Game Council, shall establish a venison donation demonstration program. The program shall permit, under controlled conditions, the slaughter, processing, distribution, and serving of venison donated by recreational hunters to nonprofit charitable organizations, in accordance with guidelines established by the Commissioner of Health and the State Fish and Game Code established pursuant to section 32 of P.L.1948, c.448 (C.13:1B-30), in order to protect the health and safety of those persons consuming the donated venison.

    b. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture, the chairman of the Fish and Game Council, and the United Bow Hunters of New Jersey, shall study the feasibility of expanding the program to include venison obtained from hunters licensed by the Department of Environmental Protection to participate in crop depredation control activities, and shall expand the program accordingly if the commissioner deems it appropriate.

    2. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture and the chairman of the Fish and Game Council, shall report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than three years after the effective date of this act on the results of the program, accompanying that report with any recommendations concerning the feasibility of establishing a permanent venison donation program and including recommendations concerning the need for legislation to control, restrict, or promote venison donation activities.

    3. The Commissioner of Health shall develop guidelines, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture and the chairman of the Fish and Game Council, to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    4. P.L.1993, c.355 (C.24:16B-61.1) is repealed.

    5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire three years after the effective date.

STATEMENT

    This bill establishes a three-year venison donation demonstration program in the Department of Health to permit, under controlled conditions, the slaughter, processing, distribution, and serving of venison donated by recreational hunters to nonprofit charitable organizations, in accordance with guidelines established by the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture and the chairman of the Fish and Game Council. The program will be implemented in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Agriculture and the Fish and Game Council.

    The bill is intended to provide statutory authority for an existing venison donation demonstration project and to assess the feasibility of expanding this activity as a way of assisting nonprofit organizations that provide food to indigent persons.

    The bill repeals P.L.1993, c.355 (C.24:16B-6.1) because of difficulties in the implementation of that law. The demonstration project is a more feasible approach to making venison available to persons in need.

Establishes a venison donation demonstration program in DOH.