Bill Text: NJ S471 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Revises Fish and Game Council membership.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Failed) 2026-05-21 - Withdrawn from Consideration [S471 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S471-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Revises Fish and Game Council membership.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the membership of the Fish and Game Council and amending P.L.1948, c.448.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 26 of P.L.1948, c.448 (C.13:1B-24) is amended to read as follows:
There shall be within the Division of Fish[, Game] and Wildlife, a Fish and Game Council which shall consist of 11 members, each of whom shall be chosen with due regard to his knowledge of and interest in the conservation of fish and game. Each member of the council shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Three of [such] the members shall be farmers, recommended to the Governor for appointment to the council by the agricultural convention held pursuant to the provisions of article 2 of chapter 1 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes; [six of such members shall be sportsmen, recommended to the Governor for appointment to the council by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs;] three of [such] the members shall be sportsmen, recommended to the Governor for appointment to the council by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs or its successor organization; three of [such] the members shall be individuals recommended to the Governor for appointment to the council by animal welfare organizations in this State; one of [such] the members shall be the chairman of the committee established pursuant to section 7 of the "Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act" (P.L.1973, c. 309; C. 23:2A-7)[,]; and one of such members shall be a person knowledgeable in land use management and soil conservation practices. One of [such] the farmer representatives [and two], one of [such] the sportsmen representatives, and one of such animal welfare representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties--Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren; one of [such] the farmer representatives [and two], one of [such] the sportsmen representatives, and one of such animal welfare representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties--Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Union; and one of [such] the farmer representatives [and two], one of [such] the sportsmen representatives, and one of [such] the animal welfare representatives shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties--Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.
For the purposes of this section, "animal welfare organization" means a not-for-profit organization established to promote animal welfare, exempt from federal taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. s.501(c)(3)), and the primary purpose of which is the protection, care, humane treatment or advocacy of animals.
Each member of the council shall be appointed for a term of [4] four years and shall serve until his successor has been appointed and has qualified.
(cf: P.L.1979, c.199, s.72)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill revises the membership of the Fish and Game Council in the Division of Fish and Wildlife without changing the council's size of 11 members. Under current law, three members are farmers recommended by the State agricultural convention, six members are sportsmen recommended by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, one member is the chair of the Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee, and one member is an individual who is knowledgeable in land-use management and soil conservation practices.
The bill replaces three of the six sportsmen representative seats with three seats for individuals recommended by animal welfare organizations in this State, resulting in three sportsmen representatives and three animal-welfare representatives
