LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
[First Reprint]
ASSEMBLY, No. 4031
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
DATED: AUGUST 9, 2023
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Establishes food rescue hotline. |
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Type of Impact: |
Annual State cost increase. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Office of the Food Security Advocate. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
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Annual |
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State Cost Increase |
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$230,000 to $1.2 million |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that the Office of the Food Security Advocate would realize higher annual costs, in an amount ranging from $230,000 to $1.2 million, in order to establish the food rescue hotline and engage in a public awareness campaign on the availability and purpose of the hotline.
· The OLS estimates that the Office of the Food Security Advocate will spend between $90,000 and $1 million on the public awareness campaign regarding the food rescue hotline, depending upon the scope of the campaign. This estimate falls within the range of costs for similar public awareness initiatives.
· The OLS also assumes that the Office of the Food Security Advocate would require one additional full-time equivalent employee, at an annual cost of $145,000, inclusive of fringe benefits, to manage and respond to incoming calls on the food rescue hotline, and to compile, update, and disseminate information regarding organizations in the State that will accept large quantities of donated food. If additional personnel were required, this cost estimate would increase accordingly.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires the Food Security Advocate to establish and maintain a food rescue hotline in order to: 1) receive and respond to telephone, electronic, or in-person requests from individuals or organizations seeking to donate large quantities of food; and 2) direct each individual or organization requesting hotline assistance to an appropriate food bank, or to other appropriate community resources or entities, in order to facilitate the delivery of the donated food to an appropriate location.
The bill also would require the Food Security Advocate to launch a public awareness campaign, using all available media, including television, print, electronic, and social media, to inform the public about the availability and purpose of the food rescue hotline.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS concludes that the Office of the Food Security Advocate would realize higher annual costs, in an amount ranging from $230,000 to $1.2 million, in order to establish the food rescue hotline and engage in a public awareness campaign on the availability and purpose of the hotline. Pursuant to the statute establishing the Office of the Food Security Advocate, the advocate is required to operate a toll-free hunger hotline to disseminate information to the public regarding food assistance programs across the State; to the extent that this hotline could be modified to accommodate calls regarding large-scale food donations, State costs may be minimized.
The OLS assumes that the Office of the Food Security Advocate would require one additional full-time equivalent employee to manage and respond to incoming calls on the food rescue hotline, and to compile, update, and disseminate information regarding organizations in the State that will accept large quantities of donated food. This estimate assumes that annual costs for the Office of the Food Security Advocate will increase by $145,000, inclusive of salary and fringe benefits, to add of one new full-time equivalent employee.
The OLS additionally estimates that the Office of the Food Security Advocate will spend between $90,000 and $1 million on the public awareness campaign regarding the food rescue hotline, depending upon the scope of the campaign. This estimate falls within the range of costs for similar public awareness initiatives. The bill provides that all available media are to be used in the campaign, including television, radio, print, the Internet, and social media. Of note, the bill does not specify whether this public awareness campaign would be time-limited in nature, or ongoing. The duration of the campaign will determine whether the Office of the Food Security Advocate will require one-time support or an annual funding increase to carry out the public awareness campaign.
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Section: |
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Analyst: |
Senior Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).