Bill Text: NJ A5418 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "Processing Establishment Fast Track Act"; establishes expedited permitting review program in Department of Agriculture for certain meat and poultry processing establishments.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-09-10 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee [A5418 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5418-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Inganamort
SYNOPSIS
"Processing Establishment Fast Track Act"; establishes expedited permitting review program in Department of Agriculture for certain meat and poultry processing establishments.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain meat and poultry processing establishments and supplementing Title 24 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Processing Establishment Fast-Track Act."
2. As used in this act:
"Administrators" means, for the purposes of this act, Warren County Community College, and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey.
"Department" means the Department of Agriculture.
"Federal Meat Inspection Act" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1968, c.105 (C.24:16B-3).
"Meat" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1968, c.105 (C.24:16B-3).
"Meat food product" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1968, c.105 (C.24:16B-3).
"Permitting delay" means any failure by an agency to act upon a complete permit application within the timeframes specified by this act.
"Permitting failure" means any systemic, procedural, or administrative deficiency that materially impairs the efficient and lawful processing of permit applications under the permitting program established pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
"Permitting program" means the "Processing Establishment Fast Track Program," as established in section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
"Poultry" means the same as that term is defined in section 1 of P.L.1942, c.248 (C.4:11-35).
"Pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program," or "pre-permitting technical assistance program," means the advisory and technical assistance permitting support program for qualifying meat and poultry establishments, established pursuant to subsection c. of section 4 of this act.
"Primary establishment" or "establishment" means an establishment engaged in the slaughtering, processing, preparing, or packaging of animals, the carcasses of animals or parts thereof, or meat or meat food products that are intended for use as human food.
"Processing Establishment Fast Track Permitting Program" or "permitting program" means the program established pursuant to subsection a. of section 3 of this act.
"Qualifying establishment" means a meat and poultry establishment, licensed according to the Federal Meat Inspection Act, that is no greater than 50,000 square feet, and engages in custom slaughter, primary meat processing, limited meat processing, or other licensed manufacturing activities.
"Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture.
3. a. The department shall establish the "Processing Establishment Fast Track Program," to provide for the expedited, interagency review of permits for qualifying establishments. In implementing the permitting program, the department shall collaborate with the Department of Environmental Protection, and each of the various State and local agencies for which a permit is required, in order to ensure the efficient and timely processing of permit applications. In establishing the permitting program, the department shall coordinate a concurrent, interagency permit review process for qualifying meat, meat food product, and poultry processing establishments. The program shall ensure:
(1) the simultaneous and expeditious administration of each of the various permits required of an establishment by any:
(a) principal department of the Executive Branch of State government, any agency, commission, board, bureau, office, or instrumentality within or created by a principal department, any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency; and
(b) local government, including regional sewerage authority and local planning or zoning boards;
(2) that, within 15 days of receipt of each permit application, the Department of Environmental Protection, and any other State or local agency for which a permit is necessary, return to the applicant a completeness check and preliminary and explanatory review of the application;
(3) that a final decision by any State and local agency concerning the approval, conditional approval, or disapproval of a permit application is made within 60 days of an applicant establishment's permit application submission;
(4) that all applicable State and local agencies annually identify and report:
(i) the number of permit applications received;
(ii) an account of permit application completeness determinations;
(iii) average permit processing timelines; and
(iv) permit approval and disapproval rates.
b. In the event that the department fails to provide written notice of an application deficiency to an applicant within 15 days of receipt of the application, the collective application shall be deemed complete, and the applicant shall proceed in the review process. The department may delay application review and approval only upon written notice of application deficiency to an applicant.
c. As applicable, every State and local agency shall recognize the engineered composting of slaughter byproducts as an approved nutrient management method for qualifying facilities which are already compliant with the "Solid Waste Management Act", P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), the "Water Quality Planning Act", P.L.1977, c.75 (C.58:11A-1 et seq.), Water Quality Management Planning rules, N.J.A.C.7:15-1.1 et seq., the New Jersey Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, P.L.1968, c.105 (C.24:16B-1 et seq.), the State Sanitary Code, P.L.1947, c.177 (C.26:1A-7 et al.), and public health rules, N.J.A.C.8:52-14.1 et seq..
4. a. Under the permitting program, the department, in consultation with Warren County Community College and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, shall establish a one-year Processing Establishment Fast Track pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program. The department, with Warren County Community College and Rutgers Cooperative Extension as administrators, shall organize the pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program to provide site readiness assessments, application completeness reviews, standardized lease templates, considerations for public-industrial sites, and coordination between utilities and qualifying meat, meat food product, and poultry processing establishments.
b. Upon identification of any permitting delay or failure, as defined in this act, which poses material risk to an applicant, the administrators shall, within 15 business days, transmit a notification to the Governor and the Legislature.
c. Each State and local agency involved in the permitting process shall cooperate and comply with application supervision, provide timely access to relevant records and data, and respond to any inquiry from the administrators within 30 days of receipt.
d. The advisory functions and technical assistance provided by the administrators under the pre-permitting technical assistance program, established pursuant to this section, shall be limited to monitoring, reporting, and advisory activities. Nothing in this section shall be construed to confer upon the administrators any authority to approve or deny a permit application, modify a permitting decision, or enforce any permitting requirements.
e. No later than six months following completion of the pilot program, the Secretary and administrators shall provide a comprehensive report to the Governor, and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), presenting information necessary to assess the success of the pilot program. This report shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following information:
(i) all State and local agencies involved in the permitting program;
(ii) the number of applications received;
(iii) an account of application completeness determinations;
(iv) average processing timelines;
(v) approval and denial rates; and
(vi) any permitting delay or failure.
f. (1) Following the first year of the program, the department may adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to convert the pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program into a permanent program.
(2) If the permanent pre-permitting technical assistance program is converted to a permanent program pursuant to this subsection, it may, with the consent of the Legislature, facilitate the involvement of State universities, county colleges, agricultural innovation centers, the State Board of Agriculture, and county agriculture development boards.
5. The Secretary of Agriculture shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement this act.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill, which would be known as the "Processing Establishment Fast Track Act," would establish an expedited, interagency permit review process for qualifying meat, meat food product, and poultry processing establishments. Under the bill, the Department of Agriculture (department) would coordinate an expedited, interagency permit review process for qualifying establishments, across the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and each of the various State and local agencies for which a permit is required, in order to ensure the efficient and timely processing of permit applications. State and local agencies may include, but are not limited to, principal State departments in the Executive Branch of government, agencies, commissions, boards, bureaus, offices, or instrumentalities within or created by the principal departments, independent State authorities, commissions, instrumentalities, or agencies, any local governments, regional sewerage authorities, or local planning or zoning boards.
The bill would require the department to ensure the efficient, simultaneous, and concurrent administration of each of the various reviews and approvals required by each applicant establishment, principal department of the Executive Branch of State government, agency, commission, board, bureau, office, or instrumentality within or created by a principal department, or any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency. The department would enforce requirements that, within 15 days of a permit application's receipt, completeness checks and preliminary, explanatory review are returned by the DEP and any other State or local agency for which a permit is necessary.
Final decisions by all involved permitting agencies would be required within 60 days of an applicant agricultural facility's submission. The department would be authorized to delay an application completeness review only upon providing written notice of an application's deficiency to an applicant.
All involved permitting agencies would be required to identify and annually report upon the number of applications received, an accounting of application completeness determinations, average processing timelines, and approval and denial rates.
The permitting program would recognize engineered composting of slaughter byproducts as an approved nutrient management method for licensed qualifying establishments which are already compliant with the "Solid Waste Management Act", P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), "Water Quality Planning Act", P.L.1977, c.75 (C.58:11A-1 et seq.), Water Quality Management Planning rules, N.J.A.C.7:15-1.1 et seq., the New Jersey Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, P.L.1968, c.105 (C.24:16B-1 et seq.), the State Sanitary Code, P.L.1947, c.177 (C.26:1A-7 et al.), and public health rules, N.J.A.C.8:52-14.1 et seq..
Under the permitting program, the department, in consultation with Warren County Community College and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, would establish a one-year Processing Establishment Fast Track pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program (pilot program). The department, with Warren County Community College and Rutgers Cooperative Extension as administrators, would organize the pre-permitting technical assistance pilot program to provide site readiness assessments, application completeness reviews, standardized lease templates, considerations for public-industrial sites, and coordination between utilities and qualifying meat, meat food product, and poultry processing establishments.
The advisory functions and technical assistance provided under the pilot program by the overseeing agencies would not be granted any authority to approve or deny a permit application, modify a permitting decision, or enforce any permitting requirements.
The pilot program administrators would transmit a notification to the Governor and the Legislature within 15 days upon identification of any permitting delay or failure which poses material risk to an applicant. Each State and local agency involved in the permitting process would be required to cooperate and comply with application supervision, provide timely access to relevant records and data, and respond to any inquiry from the administrators within 30 days of receipt.
Within six months of the completion of the pilot program, the Secretary would be required to provide a comprehensive report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), presenting information necessary to assess the success of the pilot program. This reporting would enumerate all involved State and local agencies, the number of applications received, an account of completeness determinations, average processing timelines, approval and denial rates, and any permitting delay or permitting failure, as those terms are defined in the act.
Following the first year of the program, the department may, with consent of the Legislature, convert the pre-permitting pilot program into a permanent program.
The permanent pre-permitting technical assistance program may, with consent of the Legislature, facilitate involvement of State universities, county colleges, agricultural innovation centers, the State Board of Agriculture, and county agriculture development boards.
The Secretary of Agriculture would be authorized to establish implementing rules and regulations.
