STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CHRIS TULLY
District 38 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Directs DEP to establish artificial intelligence flood prediction and mapping tool.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee with technical review.
An Act concerning the development of an artificial intelligence flood prediction and mapping tool, and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with institutions of higher education and private sector technology companies, shall develop and implement an artificial intelligence-based tool to predict and map flood risk in the State.
b. The artificial intelligence-based tool shall use satellite imagery, historical and projected rainfall data, and climate models to identify high-risk flood zones at the block or neighborhood level. The artificial intelligence tool shall also incorporate, to the extent practicable, data from: river height monitoring devices; meteorological sensors and stormwater management sensor systems, National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mapping resources; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s floodplain maps and related datasets.
c. The department shall make the artificial intelligence-based tool available for use by municipalities, county planning agencies, emergency management officials, and the public.
d. The department shall establish means for ongoing data collection to continuously update the artificial intelligence-based tool, and shall implement any available strategies for performance improvement to enhance the tool.
2. a. The department shall enter into agreements with public and private entities, including institutions of higher education, using a competitive bidding process, to support the development and deployment of the artificial intelligence-based tool developed pursuant to section 1 of this act.
b. The solicitation of competitive contracting proposals shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) publication of a notice of the availability of a request for proposals at least 20 days prior to the date established for the submission of proposals;
(2) clear criteria for evaluation including technical merit, experience, innovation, and cost-effectiveness;
(3) a summary report ranking proposals and recommending a vendor or vendors, to be made publicly available at least 48 hours prior to the award of the contract; and
(4) a final contract award through a formal departmental resolution within 60 days of receiving proposals, unless extended with vendor consent.
c. The department may also establish a grant program to provide funding to eligible entities for the purpose of contributing technical expertise, data, or infrastructure to the artificial intelligence-based tool. Grant awards shall be made based on a competitive application process, and selection criteria shall be developed by the department to ensure alignment with the objectives of this act, including accuracy, innovation, community resilience, and scalability.
d. All agreements and awards made pursuant to this section shall be published in a publicly accessible format, including the name of the recipient, amount awarded, duration, and purpose of the agreement or grant.
3. The department shall adopt, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.