Senate Bill S 2788 appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation. The funds will pay for permanent land protections on farmland through development easements or fee simple purchases, with grants available to counties (covering up to 80% of costs), municipalities, and qualifying nonprofits (covering up to 50% of costs). Additional funds cover administrative expenses, including staff salaries, appraisals, survey costs, and legal enforcement of preservation agreements. This bill implements existing farmland preservation programs under the Preserve New Jersey Act and related legislation.
This bill modifies New Jersey's Innovation Evergreen Program, which funds investments in high-growth businesses through tax credit auctions. It expands eligibility by adding headquarters location as a factor for determining "principal business operations," making it easier for businesses with New Jersey headquarters to qualify. The bill increases the maximum initial investment from $5 million to $10 million (and to $12.5 million for university spin-offs or minority/women-owned businesses), and raises the threshold for triggering a pause in tax credit auctions from $15 million to $50 million in available funds. These changes aim to strengthen support for innovation-driven businesses while streamlining reporting requirements for participating venture firms.
This bill re-appropriates $3 million in unspent funds from a previous fiscal year (FY2024) that had lapsed to the Property Tax Relief Fund. Originally allocated for the Town of West New York's overpass project, these funds are now redirected to support the construction of the Town's Recreation Center. The bill adds budget language to formally transfer the balance and authorizes the funds for the recreation center project in FY2025. It does not create new spending but restores previously allocated funding for a specific municipal facility.
This bill establishes a three-year School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program to support new school supervisors in their first year of leadership. It directly affects "novice supervisors" - certified individuals newly assigned to oversee teaching staff - in public school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools statewide. The program requires the Commissioner of Education to partner with a nonprofit to provide each participant with at least 15 hours of mentoring and additional professional development over one school year, while ensuring geographic and demographic diversity in participant selection. The state appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to cover program costs, and the Commissioner must report to the Governor and Legislature on the program's effectiveness and recommendations for continuation after the pilot ends.
This bill provides $142.6 million in supplemental funding for New Jersey's FY2025 budget, adding specific allocations to existing appropriations. It directly affects state departments and programs, including $15 million for a community opioid prevention program (focusing on education and harm mitigation like naloxone distribution), $75 million for University Hospital capital improvements, and $20 million to offset transit revenue losses from a recent fare holiday. The bill also adds language provisions directing $625 million from the Health Care Affordability Fund to support NJ FamilyCare and allocating $15 million for World Cup tourism events. These changes adjust funding streams without altering existing laws or creating new programs.
This bill extends a pause on collecting new student growth objective data for teacher evaluations in New Jersey schools. It applies to the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent years until the next revision of education regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:10). During this pause, school districts must use existing student growth data from the previous year for evaluations, though new teachers or those without prior data must still set objectives and collect data during this period. The pause ends once updated evaluation guidelines are implemented following recommendations from the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force. This directly affects teachers, principals, and school districts in New Jersey.
This bill creates a grant program through New Jersey's Department of Education to help public schools purchase and install filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. Schools with documented water quality issues - such as elevated lead levels - will receive priority, along with schools that haven’t already installed such systems. The program requires the Department to establish the grants within 90 days, provide application guidance, and report on usage and funding needs by 2026. All filtered equipment must meet NSF/ANSI standards for lead and contaminant removal. The bill directly affects all New Jersey public schools seeking safer drinking water infrastructure.
This bill appropriates $247.1 million from New Jersey's Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund: $222 million for the Department of Corrections to build a new women's correctional facility in Chesterfield Township (replacing Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women), and $25.1 million for other state capital projects recommended by the Capital Budgeting Commission. It also establishes a process for future fund use to pay off state debt without new borrowing, requiring the Joint Budget Oversight Committee to review and approve capital projects quarterly. If the committee misses a deadline, projects submitted over 45 days prior are automatically approved. The bill directly affects state agencies managing correctional facilities and capital construction projects.
This bill redirects $2 million in fiscal year 2025 state funding currently allocated to Hudson County for asbestos remediation at the Old Courthouse to the City of Jersey City. The Old Courthouse (Hudson County Administration Building) is located in Jersey City, and the bill corrects the current allocation by changing the recipient from Hudson County to Jersey City in the appropriations act. The key provision amends the state budget line item to specify "City of Jersey City" as the recipient for the asbestos remediation project at that specific location. This is a procedural funding reallocation with no new policy changes or requirements.
This bill changes who pays New Jersey's property transfer fees and taxes by shifting responsibility from buyers to sellers for certain real estate transactions exceeding $1 million in value. It increases tax rates for property transfers valued over $2 million, with rates ranging from 2% to 3.5% based on the transfer amount (2% for $2M-$2.5M, 2.5% for $2.5M-$3M, 3% for $3M-$3.5M, and 3.5% for over $3.5M). The bill affects residential, commercial, farm, and cooperative property transfers, and creates a refund process for sellers who paid excess fees on transactions contracted before July 10, 2025 and recorded before November 15, 2025. These changes apply to property transfers occurring on or after July 10, 2025.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Transportation (DOT) to create a "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan" within 24 months. The plan must identify natural wildlife movement pathways, areas with frequent animal-vehicle collisions, and barriers like roads, then prioritize safety projects to protect both wildlife and drivers. It mandates the plan be updated every 10 years and coordinated with conservation groups, existing projects like NJ CHANJ, and road construction. The state appropriates $90,000 to fund the DEP and DOT's work on this plan. The bill directly affects wildlife habitats, driver safety, and state agency planning processes.
# Summary of New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program Bill
This bill significantly amends New Jersey's film and digital media tax credit program (the "Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act") with several key changes:
## Program Extension
- Extends the program's availability until July 1, 2049 (10 years longer than current law)
## Increased Tax Credit Rates
- Increases tax credits for New Jersey studio partners from 35% to 40% of qualified film production expenses when incurred at specified locations
- Adds a new 4.5% promotional credit for qualifying film productions
## New Incentives
- Creates a new 4.5% tax credit for television series that relocated to New Jersey (defined as scripted series with at least 6 episodes, $2.5M average production budget per episode, with all prior seasons filmed outside NJ)
- For qualifying TV series, the promotional credit can increase to 9% if four specific promotional criteria are met
## New Definitions and Requirements
- Replaces "independent post-production company" with "qualified post-production company"
- Expands definition of "film" to include certain ongoing TV productions that relocated to NJ
- Amends definition of "highly compensated individual" to remove distinctions between studio partners and others (now $750,000 threshold for all taxpayers)
- Adds script costs to qualified film production expenses for studio partners and film-lease production companies
## Enhanced Diversity and Promotion Requirements
- Requires diversity plans to focus on hiring from economically disadvantaged areas, distressed municipalities, or federal land (instead of focusing on minority persons and women)
- Creates a new promotional credit requiring at least 2 of 8 specific criteria (including social media posts, location videos, promotional logos, etc.)
- For TV series that relocated to NJ, requires 4 promotional criteria to qualify for the higher 9% credit
## Credit Availability and Recapture
- Increases maximum cumulative awards for New Jersey studio partners from $150 million to $300 million
- Reduces additional discretionary awards from $400 million to $250 million
- Limits recapture of tax credits to the initial recipient (not the purchaser/assignee of tax credit transfer certificates)
- Allows exceptions to recapture when failure to occupy facility is outside the company's control
## Other Key Changes
- Extends deadline for submitting supplemental reports on deferred compensation from 2 to 4 years after production concludes
- Allows deferred compensation payments made directly to labor unions to be included in qualified film production expenses
- Requires the director to purchase unused tax credits for the film program at 95% of value (previously not required)
- Expands the applicability of transferred tax credits to include insurance premium tax liability
The bill aims to strengthen New Jersey's film industry by providing more generous incentives for production, encouraging relocation of TV series, and promoting local economic development.
