New Jersey A 1751: Requires municipalities to designate parking spaces for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients.

Bill Text

A1751 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1751 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "New Jersey Invasive Species Task 
Force."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act establishing the �New Jersey Invasive Species Task 
Force,� and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes. 

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

���� 1.��� a.� There is established 
in the Department of Agriculture, the �New Jersey Invasive Species Task 
Force.�� The task force shall be comprised of nine members as follows:

���� (1) the Secretary of 
Agriculture, or the secretary�s designee, who shall serve ex officio and shall 
serve as a co-chairperson of the task force; 

���� (2) the Commissioner of 
Environmental Protection, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex 
officio and shall serve as a co-chairperson of the task force; 

���� (3) the Commissioner of 
Health, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (4) the State Forester, or the 
State Forester�s designee, who shall serve ex officio; 

���� (5) the Executive Director of 
the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State 
University, or the Executive Director�s designee, who shall serve ex officio; 
and 

���� (6) four public members, to be 
appointed as follows:� two public members to be appointed by the Governor; one 
public member to be appointed by the President of the Senate; and one public 
member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, all of whom shall have extensive 
knowledge of invasive species.

���� b.� All appointed members 
shall be appointed within 30 days after the effective date of this act. �Any 
vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same 
manner as the original appointments were made.

���� c.� The task force shall 
organize no more than 90 days following the effective date of this act.� The 
task force shall hold public meetings on a quarterly basis.� The public 
meetings shall take place throughout the State, and at least one public meeting 
shall take place on an annual basis in each of the following locations:� (1) 
southern New Jersey, which shall include Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape 
May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties; (2) central New Jersey, which 
shall include Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and 
Union Counties; and (3) northern New Jersey, which shall include Bergen, Essex, 
Hudson, Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties.� 

���� d.� The members shall serve 
without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in 
the performance of their duties and within the limits of funds appropriated or 
otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.

���� e.� At least five members of 
the task force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of task force 
business.� In addition to the quarterly public meetings, the task force shall 
meet at the call of the co-chairpersons.

���� f.� The Department of 
Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Protection shall provide staff 
support to the task force.� The task force shall, however, be entitled to call 
to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any 
State department, board, bureau, commission or agency, as it may require and as 
may be available for its purposes.

���� g.� The task force shall be 
subject to the provisions of the �Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings 
Act,� P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.).

���� h.� A true copy of the minutes 
of every meeting of the task force shall be prepared and made available to the 
public.� The minutes shall also be made available on the Department of 
Agriculture�s Internet website. 

���� 2.��� a.� The New Jersey 
Invasive Species Task Force shall:

���� (1) study the most efficient 
methods of controlling and limiting the spread of invasive species;

���� (2) develop a plan to prevent 
new invasive species from entering the State, and limit the continuing spread 
of invasive species that are already present; 

���� (3) develop a plan to restore threatened 
or fragile ecosystems to their natural condition, and to repair damage caused 
by invasive species;

���� (4) develop uniform policies 
and a coordinated response to the threat posed by invasive species to the 
State's native and agricultural vegetation, and ecological, cultural, 
historical, or infrastructure resources;

���� (5) identify regulatory and 
statutory obstacles and inefficiencies at the federal, State, and local levels 
impeding the development or implementation of prevention, control, and 
restoration efforts; and

���� (6) prepare a comprehensive 
invasive species management plan for the State that includes an estimate of th