SENATE, No. 1023

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 21, 1996

By Senator GORMLEY

An Act reappropriating $376,100 from the "Open Space Preservation Bond Act of 1989," P.L.1989, c.183, for soil and water conservation projects, and appropriating $2,000,000 from the "Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 1992," P.L.1992, c.88, for costs incurred in implementing the farmland preservation program.

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

    1.    There is reappropriated from the "1989 Farmland Preservation Fund," established pursuant to section 22 of the "Open Space Preservation Bond Act of 1989," P.L.1989, c.183, to the State Agriculture Development Committee the unexpended balance of $376,100 appropriated pursuant to P.L.1993, c.262, and P.L.1993, c.263, for the purpose of providing grants to landowners for up to 50% of the cost of soil and water conservation projects approved as eligible for such funding pursuant to section 2 of this act.

    2.    The following projects are eligible for funding with the monies reappropriated pursuant to section 1 of this act:

    3.    There is appropriated from the "1992 Farmland Preservation Fund," established pursuant to section 24 of the "Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Bond Act of 1992," P.L.1992, c.88, to the State Agriculture Development Committee the sum of $2,000,000 for the purpose of providing for costs, as defined in section 3 of P.L.1992, c.88, incurred in implementing the provisions of the "Agriculture Retention and Development Act," P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.).

    4.    The expenditure of the sums appropriated or reappropriated by this act is subject to the provisions and conditions of P.L.1989, c.183 or P.L. 1992, c.88, as appropriate.

    5.    This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would reappropriate $376,100 from the "Open Space Preservation Bond Act of 1989," P.L.1989, c.183, to provide grants to landowners for up to 50% of the cost of certain soil and water conservation projects. The monies are reappropriated from an unexpended balance from a previous farmland preservation bond act appropriation in 1993.

    The bill would also appropriate from the "Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 1992," P.L.1992, c.88, the sum of $2 million to cover the costs, as defined in the bond act, incurred in implementing the "Agriculture Retention and Development Act," P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.), which is the major law concerned with the farmland preservation and development easement purchase program in the State. This is the first such appropriation from the 1992 bond act to cover costs for the farmland preservation program. It has been over two and one-half years (i.e., in August 1993) since a similar appropriation for such purposes was last made (using 1989 bond act monies), and the next previous such appropriation to that one was in July 1991.

Reappropriates $376,100 of farmland preservation bond monies for soil and water conservation project grants and appropriates $2 million of farmland preservation bond monies for farmland preservation program implementation costs.