NJ Farm Bureau Legislative Priorities Spring, 2015

NJ Farm Bureau Legislative Priorities – Spring, 2015

1. Long-term funding for open space/farmland preservation that includes an extension of the "dual appraisal" method for Highlands acquisitions:. Attention has now turned to implementation, with NJFB expressing its support for, at the very least, a continuation of the longstanding allocation arrangement. This includes ongoing discussions as part of this year's state budget process, in which NJFB is actively engaged, since the Governor is proposing to allocate the funds via the FY16 state budget.
2. GMO-labeling (A-1359/S-91): NJFB opposes legislation to require the labeling of all food products containing genetically modified materials (GMOs). Such a labeling mandate is not only impractical on a single-state basis, but also threatens to add costs for consumers and unduly stigmatize these products that have consistently been deemed materially-equivalent to their non-GMO alternatives by FDA. The bill was released from the Asm. State and Local Government Committee on October 16th; the bill’s sponsor is the chairwoman of this committee and no further action is anticipated currently.
3. Gestation crates (S-998/A-2500): There are renewed attempts underway to impose a de facto ban on the use of gestation crates in spite of the Governor's veto of similar legislation last session. The newly-introduced legislation mandates that NJDAadopt regulations concerning the confinement of pregnant sows during gestation, once again bypassing the existing Humane Treatment of Domestic Livestock Standards that are already in place. For the second time, the bill was vetoed outright by the Governor.
4. Neonicotinoid pesticides (A-1373): There is pending legislation, strongly opposed by NJFB, to prohibit the sale and use of the neonicotinoid class of pesticides. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely-used insecticide varieties, and any such prohibition disregards EPA's primacy is regulating and approving pesticides for use.
5. Budget support for NJAES: NJFB supports any effort to restore funding for production agriculture-related research and extension support work by Rutgers University's New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). There was a proposal last session to authorize a $1M budget supplement earmarked specifically for production ag research and extension work, but that measure was not included in the final budget. NJFB continues to support this supplemental appropriation proposal, and is advocating for additional funding in the FY16 budget.
6. 16-year old agricultural drivers license (A-535): NJFB fully supports the legislation to restore historic driving privileges to 16-year old holders of agricultural drivers licenses. On Monday, February 10th, the bill was released by the Assembly Agriculture Committee. It was subsequently approved by the full Assembly on Monday, September 29th and released from the Senate Transportation Committee on May 15th. It is now poised for action by the full Senate, setting the stage for a final review by the Governor.
7. Special occasion events on preserved farmland (A-1272/S-837): The bill was approved by the legislature but conditionally vetoed by the Governor on Monday, May 12th. His proposed conditional veto removed any consideration for RTF protection and limited the bill's scope to a 44-month pilot program for preserved wineries only. The Senate and Assembly accepted the amendments proposed in the conditional veto statement in late June.
8. "Rural microenterprise" bill (A-2839): The agricultural industry continues to review the legislation that would allow for SADC to permit the operation of certain microenterprises on preserved farms that did not take an exception area when entering into preservation. This legislation was the subject of extensive discussion at the State Agricultural Convention. The bill was released by the Asm. Agriculture Committee on Monday, October 27th.
9. Minimum wage relief (A-2736): This bill provides farmers with credits against the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for the increased cost of labor caused by the increase in the minimum wage. It was introduced on February 24, 2014, and referred to the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
10. Bear/deer baiting bill (S-687/A-2122): NJFB has strong reservations about the legislationto prohibit baiting for bear or deer in areas of the state identified by DEP as “bear habitat areas” and to require the use of bear-resistant trash receptacles in these same areas. Baiting can be an essential feature of a farmer's wildlife management protocols, and some farmers additionally sell excess produce as bait for supplemental income.
11. Commercial beekeeping: There are two pending bills to assist the state's commercial beekeeping industry that are supported by NJFB. The first bill (A-4261) extends Right to Farm protection to beekeeping operations under certain circumstances. The second bill (A-4262) authorizes the Dept. of Ag to establish statewide standards for beekeeping and apiary management. The bills have been approved by the Assembly Agriculture Committee, and were approved by the Assembly on Monday, June 23rd. The package was released by the Senate Economic Growth Committee on June 11th and is now poised final action by the Senate, after which time the bill would go to the Governor's desk.
12. Prescribed burn (A-1275): This legislation, subject to a "pocket veto" by the Governor at the close of the last legislative session, is an important measure for forest landowners throughout the state, particularly in the Pinelands area. NJFB supports renewed action on the bill in the new session. On Monday, February 25th, the bill was released by the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a 5-0-0 vote. The Assembly Appropriations Committee released the bill on Monday, June 23rd, and it was subsequently approved by the full Assembly on Thursday, June 26th. The bill was subsequently released by the Senate Environment Committee on September 15th, and is now pending in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
13. Sales tax for equine boarding stalls (A-1301): NJFB supports the legislation to clarify sales tax collection responsibilities of horse boarding businesses in New Jersey. NJFB expressed its support when the State Sales and Use Tax Review Commission, an informal body of appointed members tasked with reviewing all bills related to sales and use tax, reviewed the bill on Wednesday, December 10th.
14. Paid sick leave (A-2354/S-785): NJFB has concerns about the employer impacts of the proposal to make mandatory employer-provided paid sick leave. The bill was released by the Asm. Labor Committee on Monday, October 27th, and subsequently approved by the Asm Budget Committee on Monday, December 15th. The Senate bill is scheduled for consideration by the Senate Labor Committee on Monday, June 22nd.
15. Forestry on state lands (A-1775): Last summer, the Governor conditionally-vetoed legislation to authorize DEP to work with private foresters to conduct forest stewardship activities on state-owned land. The concept is being revisited in the new legislative session, and the bill was released by the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a 5-0-0 vote on February 25th. It was subsequently approved by the Senate Environment Committee on Monday, June 16th and was subsequently released by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, June 23rd.

***This list includes a brief synopsis of NJFB's current legislative priorities for the spring of 2015. For a more thorough accounting of these and other bills NJFB is monitoring, please also see the full state report under the "Legislation and Priorities" tab at