SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 2274

 

with Senate committee amendments

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: DECEMBER 11, 1997

 

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2274 with amendments.

      Senate Bill No. 2274, as amended, appropriates $3.8 million from the "1996 Dredging and Containment Facility Fund," established pursuant to section 18 of the "Port of New Jersey Revitalization, Dredging, Environmental Cleanup, Lake Restoration, and Delaware Bay Area Economic Development Bond Act of 1996," P.L.1996, c.70, for the dredging of navigation channels not located in the port region. Pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1996, c.70, the sum of $20 million is authorized for the purposes of financing the cost of dredging navigation channels outside of the port region. This bill represents the first appropriation of bond monies from the 1996 bond act for these purposes.

      The six projects for which the funds are appropriated are listed in the bill and are located in Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth, Cape May, and Cumberland County.

      As amended and reported, this bill is identical to Assembly Bill No. 3255 (2R) (Corodemus/Gibson).

 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to: indicate the counties and municipalities wherein the first four projects are located; add two additional projects to the list; permit the expenditure of the monies appropriated for chemical testing and boring; and require the return of unexpended monies to the bond fund.

 

FISCAL IMPACT

      The bill appropriates $3.8 million from the "1996 Dredging and Containment Facility Fund," established pursuant to section 18 of the "Port of New Jersey Revitalization, Dredging, Environmental Cleanup, Lake Restoration, and Delaware Bay Area Economic Development Bond Act of 1996," P.L.1996, c.70, for the dredging of navigation channels not located in the port region.