ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1915

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 18, 2023

      The Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1915.

      This bill would require the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish:

      (1)  standards for designating native, non-invasive plants as friendly to animal pollinators, which are required to include, but need not be limited to, standards prohibiting or restricting the application or treatment of plants to be sold with pesticides or other chemicals deemed harmful or potentially harmful to animal pollinators; and

      (2)  a “pollinator-friendly” label that a distributor or retail seller of plants may use to indicate that the plant to be sold is friendly to animal pollinators.

      The bill requires a person must be in compliance with the requirements of this bill in order to distribute or sell at retail a plant labeled as pollinator friendly or otherwise advertised or labeled as not harmful to animal pollinators.

      As defined in this bill, an “animal pollinator” means any bee, butterfly, moth, wasp, fly, beetle, ant, hummingbird, bat, or other animal that is known to pollinate plants.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2022-2023 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.