SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1320

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JUNE 17, 1996

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No.1320.

      Senate Bill No.1320 appropriates $85,563,000 from various Green Acres bond acts to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide low-interest loans or grants, or both, to assist local government units in the State to acquire and develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes. The sum appropriated would include administrative costs. The projects for which the appropriation is being made are listed in this bill and three other bills that are part of a legislative package.

      This bill authorizes the DEP to use unexpended balances of amounts previously appropriated for local government unit projects pursuant to the 1983, 1987, 1989, and 1992 Green Acres bond acts to make low-interest loans or grants, or both, to local government units for projects listed in this bill and the three other "local government" bills of this legislative package as well as for local government unit projects previously approved for funding pursuant to various acts implementing the 1983, 1987, 1989, and 1992 Green Acres bond acts, to the extent such funds are available as a result of project withdrawals or cost savings. The bill allows DEP to use interest earnings and loan repayments from the 1983, 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1995 Green Acres bond acts that become available on or before June 30, 1997 for that purpose.

      This bill also approves the funding of eligible projects of certain local government units located in southern New Jersey. The total sum of the approved amounts for the southern New Jersey projects is $16,964,000, which includes administrative costs. The bill authorizes DEP to use funds remaining after those local government unit projects in southern New Jersey listed in this bill are offered funding, with the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, for local government unit projects listed in the three other "local government" bills of this legislative package as well as for local government unit projects previously approved for funding pursuant to various acts implementing the 1983, 1987, 1989, and 1992 Green Acres bond acts.

      Finally, the bill approves $3.25 million in funding for eligible Green Acres handicapped access development projects of certain local government units, which projects must be in keeping with the requirements, standards, and policies of State and federal law concerning handicapped or disabled persons, including, but not limited to, the provisions of the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990," 42 U.S.C. §12101 et al.

      As reported, this bill is identical to Assembly, No. 41 of 1996 (Blee/Geist).

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill appropriates $85,563,000 million from various Green Acres bond acts to DEP to provide low-interest loans or grants, or both, to assist local government units in the State to acquire and develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes.

      The specific project that will be receiving the loans and grants are approved in this bill and three others; this bill makes specific project approvals for certain local government units located in southern New Jersey in the amount of $16,964,000 and handicapped access development projects of certain local government units in the amount of $3,250,000.