Bill Text: NJ S2298 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to, and establishes "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund" in, DEP; appropriates $6.85 million to fund and various divisions of DEP.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-25 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S2298 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2298-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Provides FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to, and establishes "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund" in, DEP; appropriates $6.85 million to fund and various divisions of DEP.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act providing FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to, and establishing a nonlapsing fund in, the Department of Environmental Protection, and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund," hereinafter referred to as the "fund," is hereby established as a nonlapsing, revolving fund in the Department of Environmental Protection. Moneys in the fund shall be invested in permitted investments or shall be held in interest-bearing accounts in those depositories as the State Treasurer may select, and may be invested and reinvested in permitted investments or as other trust funds in the custody of the State Treasurer in the manner provided by law.
b. Moneys in the fund shall be used only for the following purposes:
(1) to fund emergency response efforts by the department to address drinking water contamination from unexpected contamination or other incidents, including chemical releases or spills, or harmful algal blooms; or
(2) to provide moneys to publicly owned drinking water systems to fund emergency response efforts, as described in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
c. The fund shall be administered by the department and shall be credited with:
(1) any moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this section; and
(2) all interest or other income or earnings derived from the investment or reinvestment of moneys in the fund.
d. The Legislature shall annually appropriate moneys to the fund in the annual appropriations act to ensure that the department has the capacity to respond to drinking water emergencies in that fiscal year.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund" established by section 1 of this act the sum of $1,000,000.
3. In addition to the amounts
appropriated under P.L.2023, c.74, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 2024, there are appropriated from the General Fund the
following amounts for the purposes specified:
42 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
40 Community Development and Environmental Management
42 Natural Resource Management
DIRECT STATE SERVICES
11-4870 Forest Resource Management.............................. $1,400,000
12-4875 Parks Management ................................................. 1,450,000
Total Direct State Services Appropriation,
Natural Resource Management........................ $2,850,000
Direct State Services:
Salaries and Wages....................................... ($2,700,000)
12 Green Acres/Open Space
Administration................................................. ($150,000)
The amount hereinabove appropriated for the Green Acres/Open Space Administration account shall be used by the Department of Environmental Protection to employ a volunteer coordinator for the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust created pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1968, c.425 (C.13:1B-15.119).
4. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2023, c.74, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, there is appropriated from the General Fund the following amount for the purpose specified:
42 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
40 Community Development and Environmental Management
43 Science and Technical Programs
DIRECT STATE SERVICES
05-4810 Water Supply......................................................... $2,000,000
15-4890 Land Use Regulation and Management............... $1,000,000
Total Direct State Services Appropriation,
Science and Technical Programs..................... $3,000,000
Direct State Services:
Salaries and Wages....................................... ($3,000,000)
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would provide several FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the purpose of hiring new staff. The bill would also establish a new nonlapsing fund in the DEP to fund emergency response efforts to reduce unexpected drinking water contamination.
Specifically, the bill would establish the "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund" in the DEP. The bill would stipulate that moneys in the fund may only be used to:
(1) fund emergency response efforts by the DEP to drinking water contamination from unexpected contamination or other incidents, including chemical releases or spills, or harmful algal blooms; or
(2) provide moneys to publicly owned drinking water systems to fund emergency response efforts, as described in paragraph (1).
The bill would appropriate $1 million from the General Fund to the "Drinking Water Emergency Response Fund."
The bill would also appropriate $1.4 million to the New Jersey Forest Service, $1.3 million to the New Jersey State Park Service, $2 million to the Division of Water Supply and Geoscience in the DEP, and $1 million to the Division of Land Use Regulation in the DEP. The purpose of the appropriations would be to pay the salaries of new staff members in those divisions of the DEP. The bill would also appropriate $150,000 to the Green Acres program for the purpose of employing a volunteer coordinator at the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust.
