ASSEMBLY, No. 2976

STATE OF NEW JERSEY 216th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 24, 2014

Sponsored by: Assemblywoman AMY H. HANDLIN District 13 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS Prohibits elected or appointed officials, and immediate family members, from participating in farmland preservation programs.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced.

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1 AN ACT concerning participation in farmland preservation 2 programs, and supplementing P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.). 3 4 BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 5 of New Jersey: 6 7 1. a. Notwithstanding any provision of law, or any rule or 8 regulation adopted pursuant thereto, to the contrary, the committee, 9 or a county, board, municipality, or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit 10 organization, shall not acquire a development easement on farmland 11 or the fee simple title to farmland pursuant to any farmland 12 preservation program, or consider an application to any such 13 program, from: 14 (1) a person serving as an elected or appointed official of a 15 governmental entity; or 16 (2) an immediate family member of such a person. 17 b. As used in this section: 18 “Immediate family member” means a spouse, child, parent, 19 sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin, grandparent, 20 grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in- 21 law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or 22 half sister, whether the individual is related by blood, marriage, or 23 adoption. 24 “Qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization” means the same 25 as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-3). 26 27 2. This act shall take effect immediately. 28 29 30 STATEMENT 31 32 This bill would prohibit the State Agriculture Development 33 Committee, or a county, county agriculture development board, 34 municipality, or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization, from 35 acquiring a development easement on farmland or the fee simple 36 title to farmland pursuant to any farmland preservation program, or 37 considering an application to any such program, from (1) a person 38 serving as an elected or appointed official of a governmental entity, 39 or (2) an immediate family member of such a person. The purpose 40 of this bill is to prevent either a real or perceived conflict of interest 41 that could otherwise occur if elected or appointed officials (or 42 immediate family members thereof) who are also farmers enter their 43 farms for consideration to be funded under the State's various 44 farmland preservation programs. 45 The bill defines “immediate family member” as a spouse, child, 46 parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin, 47 grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, 48 daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half

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1 brother, or half sister, whether the individual is related by blood, 2 marriage, or adoption.