A 3534 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Establishes timeframe for adoption of, and requires public comment on, proposed annual economic benefits for certain solid waste facilities; authorizes residents to petition State to establish or adjust annual economic benefit.*

This bill establishes clear timeframes for negotiating host community benefits between municipalities and solid waste facilities (sanitary landfills and transfer stations), requiring negotiations to be completed within 180 days (with possible 180-day extension) and mandating a 45-day public comment period on proposed agreements before submission to state agencies. It authorizes residents to petition state agencies (DEP or BPU) for benefit adjustments and gives these agencies authority to establish benefits if negotiations fail due to bad faith or lack of agreement. The bill aims to increase transparency and public input in the negotiation process while ensuring municipalities receive fair compensation for hosting waste facilities. It directly affects municipalities, waste facility operators, and residents in communities with solid waste facilities.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2024

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 5, 2024 Last action Mar 10, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Reprint AEN 3/10/25 1R · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill shifts terminology throughout from 'host community benefit agreement' to 'annual economic benefit,' reframing the mechanism from a negotiated bilateral contract into what appears to be a regulatory determination of an annual payment. A co-sponsor (Assemblywoman Andrea Katz) was added, and the explanatory statement was removed as is standard for a committee report version. The core negotiation process, timeframes, public comment requirements, and petition provisions remain substantively unchanged.

DEFINITION

The term 'host community benefit agreement' is replaced with 'annual economic benefit' throughout the bill. This changes the legal characterization from a formal agreement between two parties to a regulatory benefit determination, potentially affecting how disputes are resolved and what obligations attach to each party.

SCOPE

In subsection e (for both landfills and transfer stations), the trigger for the 10-day notice requirement changes from 'adoption of a host community benefit agreement' to 'payment of an annual economic benefit,' shifting the focus from contract formation to the actual payment obligation.

TECHNICAL

Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (District 8, Atlantic and Burlington) was added as a co-sponsor.

The full explanatory statement section at the end of the bill was removed, which is standard when a bill advances from introduced version to committee report version.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 10, 2025

Committee

Reported out of Assembly Committee with Amendments and Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee

lower

Feb 5, 2024

Introduced

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors