ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 196

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: DECEMBER 11, 1997

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 196.

      Senate Bill No. 196 authorizes the State Board of Agriculture to establish and charge reasonable fees for animal disease diagnostic and testing services and animal health tests deemed necessary by the board.

      The schedule of fees would be adopted by the State Board of Agriculture pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), and supersede any other fees being charged by the board prior to the effective date of the schedule.

      The bill also creates the "Agricultural Fee Program Revolving Fund," from which moneys would be appropriated annually based on estimates provided in the department's annual budget request. These moneys would be used to support the activities of the program for which the monies were collected.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      In the legislative fiscal estimate to this bill, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) did not concur with nor could it confirm estimates by the department on an identical bill last session (Senate Bill No. 814 of 1994). At that time, the department estimated revenues for the first year to be $30,000 and expenditures for two staff, additional materials aid supplies, etc. at $143,000. In the second year, revenues were estimated to be $170,000 with expenditures of $141,000, while in the third year, revenues were estimated to be $210,000 and expenditures at $149,000.