New Jersey A 1953: Provides that certain persons holding public office or employment who enter into certain civil settlement agreements with public entity will forfeit public office or employment.

Bill Text

A1953 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1953 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblywoman HEATHER SIMMONS

District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)

SYNOPSIS

���� Directs Dept. of Agriculture to establish "Urban 
Gardening Pilot Program"; appropriates $100,000.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

�� 

An Act concerning urban gardening and making an 
appropriation.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� "Applicant" means 
any municipality or nonprofit organization applying for a grant pursuant to 
this act. 

���� �Department� means the 
Department of Agriculture. 

���� "Low-income area" 
means a census tract, as reported in the most recently completed decennial 
census published by the United States Census Bureau, that has a poverty rate of 
at least 20 percent or in which the median family income does not exceed 80 
percent of the Statewide or metropolitan median family income, whichever is 
greater.

���� �State-wide nonprofit 
organization� or �nonprofit organization� means a charitable organization 
serving qualified State residents and having operations throughout the State, 
that is a corporation organized in the State operated exclusively for 
charitable purposes under the "New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act," 
Title 15A of the New Jersey Statutes, and is exempt from federal income tax 
under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 
U.S.C.s.501(c)(3)).

���� "Program" means the 
�Urban Gardening Pilot Program� established pursuant to section 2 of this act.

���� �Urban area� means a 
neighborhood in, or portion of, a city of the first class, second class, third 
class, or fourth class in the State or a neighborhood in, or portion of, a 
municipality eligible to receive State aid pursuant to P.L.1978, c.14 (C.52:27D-178 
et seq.).

���� �Urban gardening� means 
gardening in an urban area on land or in or on a building or the rooftop 
thereof, where flowers, fresh produce, or other agricultural products are grown 
or raised for consumption as food by traditional agricultural methods, in greenhouses 
using the appropriate methods for these structures, or through the use of 
aquaponics, hydroponics, or another nontraditional method of farming.� �Urban 
gardening� shall not include the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal or any 
other purpose. 

���� 2.��� a.� The 
department shall establish and administer a pilot program, to be known as the �Urban Gardening Pilot Program,� to improve local 
neighborhood conditions in low-income areas of the State by providing three 
qualified applicants with grants, of up to $35,000, to create an urban garden. The department shall identify no fewer than three projects 
in different low-income areas of the State that the department considers to be 
appropriate for the pilot program.� The department shall operate the pilot 
program for three consecutive years. The grants shall be used by qualified 
applicants to establish an urban garden in a low-income area of the State.� The 
goal of the urban garden shall be to improve local neighborhood conditions and 
integrate residents of diverse communities.� 

���� b.��� In 
establishing and implementing the program, the department may enter into 
agreements with local agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and 
individuals for funds in order to leverage its grants with funds from such 
entities.� The terms and conditions of any agreements for funds shall be 
determined by the department.

���� 3.��� a.� The department shall 
provide grants to three applicants determined to be qualified by the department 
to participate in the program, in accordance with the criteria set forth in 
this section.� Three qualified applicants shall be awarded a grant of up to 
$35,000 each, which shall be used by the applicant over the three-year pilot 
program established pursuant to this act. 

���� b.��� In order to receive a 
grant from the department pursuant to this act, the applicant shall meet the 
following requirements:

���� (1)� the applicant shall 
demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant has access 
to an urban area upon which a viable urban garden may be established; 

���� (2)� the applicant shall 
demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the urban garden is to 
be located within a low-income area of the State; and

���� (3)� the applicant shall 
demonstrate that the applicant has or will have a contractual relationship with 
an agronomist or with a qualified individual from the New Jersey Cooperative 
Extension Service to teach local residents how to plant and cultivate fresh produce 
or other agricultural products for consumption as food in the urban garden.

���� c.��� In determining the 
criteria