ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5277

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 19, 2025

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 5277.

As amended, this bill would require the establishment of a public awareness campaign and a call center for certain property tax relief programs offered by the State.  The bill further requires the Stay NJ Task Force to submit an annual report to both the Governor and the Legislature concerning the administration of the ANCHOR, Homestead Property Tax Reimbursement (“Senior Freeze”), and Stay NJ Property Tax Credit (“Stay NJ”) programs.

     Specifically, the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Stay NJ Task Force, would be required to undertake a public awareness campaign concerning certain property tax relief programs, including the ANCHOR program, Senior Freeze program, Stay NJ program, and various property tax exemptions and deductions provided for veterans, seniors, and disabled persons.  For each program, the public awareness campaign would provide information concerning: (1) the eligibility requirements, including those related to age, income, residency, and ownership; (2) the application process, including any documentation that is required to be included in each application and the deadlines for application submissions; (3) resources available to assist residents with applications; and (4) any other information the director may deem necessary.

     The bill would further require the director to establish a call center to assist individuals in navigating the division’s website and submitting applications for property tax relief through certain programs.  Call center services would be provided in English and the three most commonly spoken languages in the State besides English.  In establishing the call center, the director would be required to ensure that it is located at a facility in the State and staffed by division employees or persons under contract with the division, as the case may be, who provide assistance while physically located at such facility.  The director would also be required to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature concerning the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness campaign.

     Finally, the bill would require the Stay NJ Task Force to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature concerning the administration of benefits under the ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ programs for the prior tax year.  The report would contain information on the number of applications processed and approved, the amount of payments made to eligible applicants for the prior tax year, the total costs of each program, any recommendations concerning legislative or regulatory changes to be made to each property tax relief program, any recommendations concerning system improvements that both the State and local government units should make to provide for continued streamlined application and payment of benefits for each program, and the funding required to implement such system improvements.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments would require that the call center established under the bill be located at a facility in the State and staffed by division employees or persons under contract with the division, as the case may be, who provide assistance while physically located at such facility.  The committee amendments would also change the effective date of the bill from immediately to 180 days following the date of enactment.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that the bill will result in indeterminate annual State cost increases due to the establishment of a public awareness campaign and call center for property tax relief programs.  The magnitude of cost increases cannot be determined as the bill does not specify operational parameters that would allow for precise cost estimation.