Bill Text: NJ A2464 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes State park passport to promote outdoor recreation, education, and visitation to State parks, forests, and historic sites.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-12-11 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [A2464 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A2464-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TIM EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes State park passport to promote outdoor recreation, education, and visitation to State parks, forests, and historic sites.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a State park passport and supplementing P.L.1983, c.324 (C.13:1L-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The commissioner shall establish a State park passport to promote outdoor recreation, education, and visitation to State parks, forests, and historic sites. The passport shall enable a visitor to collect a passport stamp from each State park, forest, and historic site visited. For the purposes of this section "passport stamp" shall refer to a rubber inked stamp.
b. The commissioner shall approve a (1) passport stamp for each State park, forest, and historic site, and (2) an annual collectible stamp. The commissioner may hold an annual competition for the design of the annual collectible stamp. The competition shall be open to the public and shall be a means to educate a visitor about State parks, forests, and historic sites.
c. All State parks, forests, and historic sites shall have a location, as designated by the commissioner, for visitors to obtain the passport stamp. The commissioner shall announce the availability of the State park passport and the annual collectible stamp through a press announcement or other method including the posting of appropriate posters or signs.
d. The department may charge a reasonable fee for a State park passport which shall not exceed $15. The State park passport shall be sold through the department and may be sold by private vendors on consignment in accordance with the guidelines established by the commissioner.
e. (1) The commissioner shall annually certify the costs incurred in the immediately preceding year by the department in producing, administering, and promoting the availability of the State park passport.
(2) In the event that the cost for the State park passport program, as certified by the commissioner, is greater than the monies collected from the sale of the State park passport in two consecutive fiscal years, the commissioner may increase the fee for a State park passport to an amount which covers the cost of the program.
f. There
is created in the Department of Treasury a non-lapsing, interest-bearing fund
to be known as the "Park Passport Program Fund." There shall be deposited in
the fund the amount collected from the sale of the park passport. The net
proceeds from the sale of the State park passport shall be used to support and
fund educational and recreational programs at State parks and forests, less the
amounts necessary to reimburse the department for the costs of the program.
2. The commissioner shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt any rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment, except the commissioner may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
The bill would require the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to establish a State park passport to promote outdoor recreation, education, and visitation to State parks, forests, and historic sites. The passport would enable a visitor to collect a passport stamp from each State park, forest, and historic site visited. In addition to each park, forest, and historic site having its own passport stamp, a person would be able to obtain an annual collectible stamp. The commissioner may hold an annual competition for the design of the annual collectible stamp.
All State parks, forests, and historic sites would have a location, as designated by the commissioner, for visitors to obtain the passport stamp. The commissioner would announce the availability of the State park passport and the annual collectible stamp through a press announcement or other method including the posting of appropriate posters or signs.
The department may charge a reasonable fee for a State park passport which shall not exceed $15. The commissioner would be required to annually certify the costs incurred in the immediately preceding year by the department in producing, administering, and promoting the availability of the State park passport. In the event that the cost for the State park passport program is greater than the monies collected from the sale of the State park passport, the commissioner would be able to increase the fee for a State park passport to an amount which covers the cost of the program.
This bill would create a non-lapsing, interest-bearing fund in the Department of Treasury and monies collected from the sale of the park passport would be deposited into the fund. The net proceeds from the sale of the State park passport would be used to support and fund educational and recreational programs at State parks and forests, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the department for the costs of the program.
