A 360 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Revises law prohibiting feeding of black bear.

This bill revises New Jersey's law prohibiting feeding black bears by replacing the previous "unintentional feeding" exemption with specific, allowed activities. It permits certain actions without penalty, including agricultural operations (with food stored properly), bird feeders maintained under strict conditions (e.g., 10-foot height, nightly emptying), animal shelters feeding pets (with uneaten food removed nightly), and government wildlife management. The law also changes where civil penalties for violations go, directing collected fines to the local municipality instead of the Division of Fish and Wildlife. It directly affects residents, farmers, and pet owners in bear-prone areas by clarifying permitted feeding practices.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 9, 2024 Last action Sep 12, 2024
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Sep 12, 2024
Committee
Reported and Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee
lower
Jan 9, 2024
Introduced
Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee
lower
2 primary · 11 co-sponsors

Sponsors