New Jersey A 3223: Provides public employee in State-administered retirement system who continues preexisting volunteer relationship with employer from whom employee retires has bona fide severance from employment for compliance with NJ and federal regulations.

Bill Text

A3223 

ASSEMBLY, No. 3223 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman JAY WEBBER

District 26 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes procedure for notification to, and review 
by, municipalities of certain grant and loan applications for acquisition or 
development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning certain lands acquired or developed for 
recreation and conservation purposes, supplementing P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-1 
et seq.) and amending P.L.1997, c.24.

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

���� 1.��� (New section)� The Department 
of Environmental Protection shall provide written notification to the governing 
body of a municipality whenever the department receives an application from (1) 
a local government unit that is not the municipality, or (2) a qualifying tax 
exempt nonprofit organization, for a grant or loan to acquire or develop lands 
for recreation and conservation purposes using constitutionally dedicated 
moneys in whole or in part or Green Acres bond act moneys in whole or in part 
within the boundaries of that municipality.� Within 30 days after receipt of 
notification from the department, the governing body of the municipality may 
evaluate the application to determine if the governing body of the municipality 
finds that the land is appropriate for acquisition or development for 
recreation and conservation purposes, and submit the results of this evaluation 
in writing to the department.� Upon receipt, the department shall review and 
consider this evaluation as part of its evaluation and priority ranking process 
pursuant to section 26 of P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-26), and shall notify the 
municipality of its intention to approve or deny the application.� If the department 
does not receive an evaluation from the governing body of the municipality 
within 30 days after providing the notification required pursuant to this 
section, then the department may proceed with its decision on the application 
without further notification to the governing body of the municipality.

���� 2.��� Section 6 of P.L.1997, 
c.24 (C.40:12-15.6) is amended to read as follows:

���� 6.��� a.� The governing body 
of any county in which the voters of the county have approved a proposition in 
accordance with P.L.1997, c.24 (C.40:12-15.1 et seq.) may adopt a resolution 
authorizing the distribution of monies deposited into the "County Open 
Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic 
Preservation Trust Fund" created pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of 
P.L.1997, c.24 (C.40:12-15.2), in such portions as deemed appropriate, to 
municipalities within the county or to charitable conservancies, to be used in 
the county by those municipalities or charitable conservancies for the purposes 
of P.L.1997, c.24 in accordance with the provisions, conditions, and 
requirements thereof, provided that any municipality or charitable conservancy 
receiving such monies has presented a plan to the county documenting the 
proposed use of the monies.

���� b.��� Lands acquired by a 
municipality pursuant to this section shall be held in trust and shall be used 
exclusively for the purposes authorized by P.L.1997, c.24.

���� c.���� The governing body of a 
municipality acquiring lands using monies received pursuant to this section 
shall have full control of the lands and may adopt an ordinance providing for 
(1) suitable rules, regulations, and bylaws for use of the lands, (2) the enforcement 
of those rules, regulations and bylaws, and (3) when appropriate, the charging 
and collection of reasonable fees for use of the lands or for activities 
conducted thereon.

���� d.��� In order to qualify to 
receive monies from a county trust fund pursuant to this section, the board of 
directors, board of trustees, or other governing body, as appropriate, of an 
applying charitable conservancy shall:

���� (1)�� demonstrate to the 
governing body of the county that it qualifies as a charitable conservancy;

���� (2)�� agree to use the monies 
only in connection with lands located in the county and for the purposes 
authorized by P.L.1997, c.24;

���� (3)�� agree to make and keep 
the lands accessible to the public, unless the governing body of the county 
determines that public accessibility would be detrimental to the lands or to 
any natural or historic resources associated therewith;

���� (4)�� agree not to sell, 
lease, exchange, transfer, or donate the lands for which the monies received 
were allocated for use pursuant to this section, except upon approval of the 
governing body of the county under such conditions as the governing body may 
establish; and

���� (5)�� agree to execute and 
donate to the county at no charge (a) a conser