Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Gopal, Assemblywoman Speight, Assemblymen Wirths, Space, Assemblywomen Eulner and Piperno
SYNOPSIS
Establishes trail signage program for alcohol manufacturers in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning tourist directional signs for alcohol manufacturers and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the Department of Law and Public Safety, shall create a “Brewery, Cidery, Distillery, and Meadery (BCDM) Trail Sign Program.” The purpose of the program shall be to provide awareness of and directional guidance to alcohol manufacturers in the State through roadway signs, and support a trail-like path through signage which allows persons to find and visit breweries, cideries, distilleries, and meaderies in an efficient and reasonable manner, and promote these locations within New Jersey.
b. A person may apply to the department to have BCDM trail signs installed to identify and direct persons to breweries, cideries, distilleries, and meaderies throughout the State. In identifying specific alcohol manufacturers to be included on the trail, special consideration shall be given to breweries, cideries, distilleries and meaderies that are in close geographic proximity to one another or thematically linked by surrounding arts, cultural, historical, entertainment, or other tourism destinations or exhibits of interest to tourists. The locations selected as part of the BCDM trail shall be geographically representative of the entire State. The department shall place BCDM trail signs on all eligible roads, including State roads.
c. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts in the Department of State shall establish a visual arts competition, for aesthetically pleasing, original art to be displayed on the BCDM trail signage. The council shall establish the terms of the competition, including the rules of the competition and submission requirements. The council shall select the artwork to be displayed which at a minimum shall be:
(1) submitted in accordance with the rules of the competition, established pursuant to this subsection;
(2) reflective of the intent of this act; and
(3) reproducible on roadway signage.
The council shall publicize the competition in such a manner so as to attract artwork submission, and to that end the council may expend any funds as may be appropriated or otherwise made available for that purpose. The final selection of artwork shall be selected by the council and reported to the Department of Transportation. The department shall produce and install the BCDM trail signs.
d. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, and consistent with federal law, the department shall install an approved BCDM trail sign as soon as practicable.
e. The Department of Transportation shall be responsible for any cost associated with the BCDM Trail Sign Program.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill creates a “Brewery, Cidery, Distillery, and Meadery (BCDM) Trail Sign Program” to provide awareness of, and directional guidance to, alcohol manufacturers throughout the State through roadway signs. The location of the signs will support a trail-like path throughout the State of breweries, cideries, distilleries, and meaderies.
Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT), in consultation with the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the Department of Law and Public Safety, would create the BCDM Trail Sign Program. A person may apply to the DOT to have a BCDM trail sign installed to identify and direct persons to their brewery, cidery, distillery, or meadery. Special consideration would be given to BCDM locations that are in close geographic proximity with one another or near other tourist destinations.
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts in the Department of State would establish a visual arts competition to gather original artwork to be placed on the BCDM signage. The council would establish the terms of the competition, including submission requirements and selection. After the completion of the design competition, the council would report the final selection of artwork to the DOT. The DOT would produce and install the brewery, cidery, distillery, and meadery trail signs as soon as practicable.
The Department of Transportation would be responsible for any cost associated with the BCDM Trail Sign Program.