New Jersey S 1304: Concerns the delivery and oversight of coverage under certain health benefits plans; establishes Health Care Patient Ombudsperson in the Division of Consumer Affairs.

Bill Text

S1304 

SENATE, No. 1304 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator JOSEPH PENNACCHIO

District 26 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes home elevation fund and dedicates up to 
$5 million of realty transfer fee revenue annually for this purpose.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning home elevations, dedicating a portion 
of the realty transfer fee revenue for this purpose, and amending and 
supplementing various parts of the statutory law.

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

���� 1.��� (New section)��� a.�� There 
is created in the Department of Environmental Protection a special non-lapsing 
fund to be known as the �Flood Protection and Home Elevation Fund.�� The money 
in this fund is to be dedicated and shall be used only to carry out the purpose 
specified in subsection b. of this section.� The fund shall be credited with 
all revenues collected and deposited in the fund pursuant to section 4 of 
P.L.1968, c.49 (C.46:15-8), all interest and other income received from the 
investment of money in the fund, and any money which, from time to time, may 
otherwise become available for the purposes of the fund.� Pending the use 
thereof pursuant to the provisions of subsection b. of this section, the money 
deposited in the fund shall be held in interest-bearing accounts in public 
depositories, as defined pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.236 (C.17:9-41), 
and may be invested or reinvested in such securities as are approved by the 
State Treasurer.� Interest or other income earned on monies deposited into the 
fund shall be credited to the fund for use as set forth in subsection b. of 
this section for other money in the fund.

���� b.��� Monies deposited in the 
�Flood Protection and Home Elevation Fund� shall be used to reimburse a 
homeowner who undertakes a home elevation project subsequent to the effective 
date of this act in an amount equal to 25 percent of the annual interest 
payment made by the homeowner on any loans taken to finance the home elevation 
project, or $750, whichever is less; provided, however, that the county in 
which the home elevation project takes place provides matching funds to the 
homeowner in the same amount.� 

���� c.��� In order to qualify for 
reimbursement pursuant to subsection b. of this section, a homeowner shall 
first obtain all necessary State and local zoning and land use approvals for 
the home elevation project, and approval from the financing institution for any 
loan taken to finance the home elevation project.� The homeowner shall then 
apply to the department and to the county on a form and in a manner established 
by the department.� No payment shall be made by the State to the homeowner 
until the home elevation is complete, and proof thereof to the satisfaction of 
the department has been provided to the department.� A qualifying homeowner 
shall be eligible to reapply to the State and county for reimbursement each 
year the homeowner continues to pay interest on a loan taken to finance the 
home elevation project.� 

���� d.��� Before a county provides 
matching funds to homeowners pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the 
governing body of the county shall establish, by ordinance or resolution, as 
appropriate, a source of funding for the matching funds, which may include, but 
need not be limited to, the county portion of the basic fee collected pursuant 
to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of section 3 of P.L.1968, c.49 
(C.46:15-7) or county open space trust funds as specified in paragraph (1) of 
subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.1997, c.24 (C.40:12-15.2).

���� e.��� As used in this section: 

���� �Department� means the 
Department of Environmental Protection. 

���� �Home elevation project� means 
a project to elevate or raise a single family or two-family house that is the 
primary residence of the owner to eliminate or significantly mitigate the 
threat of flooding and its attendant damage and destruction to the property, 
whether the single family or two-family house is intact or is being restored 
and reconstructed at its original location to a higher elevation.

���� 2.��� Section 1 of P.L.1997, 
c.24 (C.40:12-15.1) is amended to read as follows: 

���� 1.��� As used in P.L.1997, 
c.24 (C.40:12-15.1 et seq.): 

���� "Acquisition" or 
"acquire" means the securing of a fee simple or a lesser interest in 
land, including but not limited to an easement restricting development, by 
gift, purchase, installment purchase agreement, devise, or condemnation.

���� "Blue Acres project" 
means any project to acquire, for recreation and conservation purposes, lands 
that have been damaged by, or may be prone to incurring damage caused by, 
storms or storm-related flooding, or that may buffer or protect other lands 
from such damage, and