ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5153

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 19, 2025

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5153.

      As reported, in 2020, the State Legislature enacted a law, at P.L.2020, c.117 (C.13:1E-99.126 et al.), banning single-use plastics.  This law initially provided for an annual allocation of $500,000, from the "Clean Communities Program Fund" (fund) to the Department of Environmental Protection, in each of the first three fiscal years following the bill’s effective date, in order to fund the public education and outreach efforts being undertaken regarding the Statewide reduction in single-use plastics, as provided by P.L.2020, c.117 (C.13:1E-99.126 et al.).  The funds thus far allocated, for these purposes, have been used, in part, to establish a bag redistribution program that collects reusable bags and repurposes them for use by food banks, food pantries, and other food distribution programs.

      This bill would eliminate the current three-year limitation on allocations from the fund, for such purposes, and it would provide, instead, for $500,000 to be annually allocated from the fund, to the Department of Environmental Protection, on a permanent and ongoing basis, for the purposes of financing public education and outreach efforts related to the State's single-use plastics reduction program.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.