ASSEMBLY LABOR COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4501

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 20, 2025

      The Assembly Labor Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4501.

This bill amends and supplements the “Right to Farm Act” to allow housing for resident farm employees on a commercial farm to be a permissible activity and eligible for protections under the “Right to Farm Act.” 

     The bill directs the State Agriculture Development Committee to adopt an agricultural management practice that permits the housing of resident farm employees.  The bill defines “resident farm employee” as a person employed by the owner or operator of a commercial farm to engage in agricultural production activities on a full-time basis on the commercial farm.  The term does not include a full-time, year-round equine-related farm employee, the owner of the farm, or any lineal descendant of the owner. 

      As amended and reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 4501 is identical to Senate Bill No. 3353 (1R), which was reported by the committee on this same date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) revise the definition of “resident farm employee” to exclude the owner of the farm or any lineal descendant of the owner;

      (2) require housing for resident farm employees constructed pursuant to the bill to comply with the “Seasonal Farm Labor Act,” P.L.1945, c.71 (C.34:9A-1 et seq.) and the federal “Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act,” (29 U.S.C. s.1801 et seq.);

      (3) provide that the charging of rent to resident farm employees living in resident farm employee housing would be prohibited; and

      (4) require the agricultural management practice developed by the State Agriculture Development Committee pursuant to the bill to provide that the amount of resident farm employee housing is required to correlate to the amount of labor needed on the farm.