Bill Text: NJ A4316 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-11-25 - Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading [A4316 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A4316-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARLENE CARIDE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established the "Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force." The purpose of the task force shall be to review past flooding events within the Hackensack Meadowlands District, and recommend measures to reduce future impacts of flooding on residents, businesses, and local government units within the Hackensack Meadowlands District and surrounding area.
b. The task force shall seek to identify both short-term and long-term recommendations to enhance flood mitigation efforts and emergency response planning, and streamline requirements that may impede post-flooding recovery. The task force shall review the status and effectiveness of any emergency response plans for the Hackensack Meadowlands District and the counties and the municipalities located therein. In reviewing the circumstances surrounding flooding within the Hackensack Meadowlands District, the task force shall identify ways to minimize flood damage in the future, and shall consider the potential for the purchase of properties that have been damaged by storms or storm-related flooding, that appear likely to incur such damage, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage.
c. As used in this section, "Hackensack Meadowlands District" means the area within the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission as set forth in section 4 of P.L.1968, c.404 (C.13:17-4).
2. a. The Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force shall consist of 21 members as follows:
(1) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee;
(2) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission created pursuant to P.L.1968, c.404 (C.13:17-1 et seq.), or the director's designee;
(3) the Director of the State Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or the director's designee;
(4) two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, who shall not be both of the same political party;
(5) two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, who shall not be both of the same political party;
(6) the mayors of Carlstadt Boro, East Rutherford Boro, Little Ferry Boro, Moonachie Boro, North Arlington Boro, Ridgefield Boro, Rutherford Boro, and Secaucus Town, or the respective mayor's designee for each municipality;
(7) one representative from the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management;
(8) one representative from the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management;
(9) one representative of the academic community with expertise, knowledge, or experience in meadowlands or wetlands ecosystems and habitat;
(10) one representative of an environmental organization with expertise, knowledge, or experience in meadowlands or wetlands ecosystems and habitat;
(11) one representative from the Meadowlands Conservation Trust created pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1999, c.31 (C.13:17-89); and
(12) one member of the public with relevant expertise in engineering, flood mitigation, public planning, environmental protection, or related issues.
b. The members set forth in paragraphs (7) through (12) of subsection a. of this section shall be appointed by the Governor within 30 days after the date of enactment of this act. Any vacancy in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
c. The task force shall organize as soon as may be practicable after the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
d. The task force shall call upon the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and request the participation of a representative from each agency to serve on the task force, as a non-voting member, to provide information on the current status of federal flood mitigation efforts in the Hackensack Meadowlands District, the surrounding area, and elsewhere in the State.
e. The task force shall meet regularly as it may determine, and shall also meet at the call of the chairperson of the task force or a majority of the membership.
f. A majority of the membership of the task force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of task force business. Action may be taken and motions and resolutions adopted by the task force at any meeting thereof by the affirmative vote of a majority of the membership of the task force in attendance at the meeting.
g. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of such employees of any State, county, or municipal department, authority, board, bureau, commission, agency as it may require and as may be available to it for the purpose of carrying out its duties under this act.
h. In conducting its business, the task force may consult with experts in the public or private sector on any aspect of its mission.
i. If requested by the task force, the Department of Environmental Protection shall provide primary staff support to the task force.
3. The Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force shall prepare and submit a final report, including its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature within one year after the task force's organization. Copies of the report shall also be provided to the public upon request and free of charge, and the report shall be posted on the Internet websites of the Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.
4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire on the 30th day after the task force submits the final report required pursuant to section 3 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Meadowlands Flood Advisory Task Force. The task force is charged with reviewing past flooding events within the Hackensack Meadowlands District, and recommending measures to reduce future impacts of flooding on residents, businesses, and local government units within the district and surrounding area.
The Hackensack Meadowlands District includes the municipalities of Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack, and Teterboro in Bergen county, and Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, and Secaucus in Hudson county.
The task force would consist of 21 members as follows: the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee; the Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, or the director's designee; the Director of the State Office of Emergency Management, or the director's designee; two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; the mayor, or the mayor's designee, for the eight municipalities of Carlstadt Boro, East Rutherford Boro, Little Ferry Boro, Moonachie Boro, North Arlington Boro, Ridgefield Boro, Rutherford Boro, and Secaucus Town; one representative from the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management; one representative from the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management; one representative of the academic community with expertise, knowledge, or experience in meadowlands or wetlands ecosystems and habitat; one representative of an environmental organization with expertise, knowledge, or experience in meadowlands or wetlands ecosystems and habitat; one representative from the Meadowlands Conservation Trust; and one member of the public with expertise in engineering, flood mitigation, public planning, environmental protection, or related issues.
The task force is also directed to call upon the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to request the participation of a representative from each agency to serve as a non-voting member of the task force and to provide information on the current status of flood mitigation efforts in the Hackensack Meadowlands District, the surrounding area, and elsewhere in the State.
The bill requires the Governor to appoint the public members of the task force within 30 days after the bill's enactment, and the task force to organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members. Upon request, primary staff support would be provided by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The task force would be required to submit a final report, including its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, to the Governor and the Legislature within one year after its organization. Copies of the report would be provided to the public upon request and free of charge, and the report would be posted on the websites of the DEP and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.
