Bill Text: NJ S794 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Dedicates up to $400,000 annually of fees collected at Island Beach and Liberty State Parks to special funds to be used to support certain park programs, and makes appropriations from funds.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-18 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S794 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S794-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER J. CONNORS
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Dedicates up to $400,000 annually of fees collected at Island Beach and Liberty State Parks to special funds to be used to support certain park programs, and makes appropriations from funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act dedicating existing fees for certain Island Beach State Park and Liberty State Park programs, making appropriations therefrom, and supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is created in the Department of Environmental Protection a non-lapsing revolving fund to be known as the "Island Beach Interpretive Program Fund," to be held separate and apart from all other funds of the State. Receipts up to $150,000 derived from permit, park pass and parking fees collected at Island Beach State Park shall be deposited in the fund and appropriated annually by the Legislature only for the purposes specified in subsection b. of this section. All interest or other income earned on monies deposited into the fund and any monies that may be appropriated or otherwise become available for the purpose of the fund, shall be credited to and deposited in the fund.
b. Monies in the fund shall be used for the support of interpretation and education programs offered at Island Beach State Park, including, but not limited to, staff salaries related thereto.
2. All monies deposited into the Island Beach Interpretive Program Fund in State fiscal year 2022 are appropriated for the purposes specified in section 1 of this act.
3. a. There is created in the Department of Environmental Protection a non-lapsing revolving fund to be known as the "Liberty State Park Interpretive Program Fund," to be held separate and apart from all other funds of the State. Receipts up to $250,000 derived from permit, boat launch, park pass, and facility use fees collected at Liberty State Park shall be deposited in the fund and appropriated annually by the Legislature only for the purposes specified in subsection b. of this section. All interest or other income earned on monies deposited into the fund and any monies that may be appropriated or otherwise become available for the purpose of the fund, shall be credited to and deposited in the fund.
b. Monies in the fund shall be used for the support of interpretation and education programs offered at Liberty State Park, including, but not limited to, staff salaries related thereto.
4. All monies deposited into the Liberty State Park Interpretive Program Fund in State fiscal year 2022 are appropriated for the purposes specified in section 3 of this act.
5. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would dedicate a portion of the revenue realized from permit, parking and other fees collected at Island Beach State Park and Liberty State Park to the "Island Beach Interpretive Program Fund" and the "Liberty State Park Interpretive Program Fund," respectively, created by the bill.
Currently, all revenues collected at Island Beach State Park are deposited into the Parks General Treasury account and used to support the State park system. The revenues collected at Liberty State Park are split between the Parks General Treasury account and a revolving account used to support the operations of the park. The bill provides that a portion of the fees collected would be used to support interpretative and education programs at Island Beach and Liberty State parks. Specifically, $150,000 of the fees collected at Island Beach State Park and $250,000 of the fees collected at Liberty State Park would be dedicated for these programs. The bill also appropriates for these purposes the monies deposited into the funds during State fiscal year 2022.
