Establishes NJ Native Seed Commission to develop plan to increase production and use of native seeds in State.

A1517 1R

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1517

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblywoman� ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Donlon, Swain and Assemblyman Tully

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes NJ Native Seed Commission to develop plan
to increase production and use of native seeds in State.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural
Resources Committee on June 15, 2026, with amendments.

��

An Act

concerning the production and use of native
seeds in the State.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� There is established
in the Department of Agriculture the New Jersey Native Seed Commission.� The
purpose of the commission shall be to develop a plan to:

���� (1)�� increase the production
of native seeds in the State;

���� (2)�� increase the use of
native seeds in public land management, roadside landscaping, reforestation,
habitat restoration, and other projects as determined by the commission; and

���� (3)�� ensure that native seeds
are commercially available in the State at a reasonable cost and in adequate
supply.�

���� b.� The commission shall
consist of
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[
9
]

11
1
members
as follows:

���� (1)�� the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, and the Commissioner
of Transportation, who shall serve ex officio, or their respective designees;
1
[
and
]
1

���� (2)�� the following public
members, appointed by the Governor:

���� (a)�� one member representing
plant nurseries in the State;

���� (b) one member representing
seed suppliers;

���� (c)�� one member with
experience or expertise in public land management and open space preservation;

���� (d)�� one member with
experience or expertise in highway engineering and roadside landscaping;�

���� (e)�� one member of the
academic community with expertise in native plants and native seeds; and

���� (f)�� one member representing
an environmental education and conservation advocacy organization in the State
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;

����
(3)�� one public member
with expertise in the horticulture industry, appointed by the Senate President;
and

����
(4)�� one public member
with expertise in the horticulture industry, appointed by the Speaker of the
General Assembly
1
.

���� c.� All appointments to the
commission shall be made no later than 90 days after the effective date of this
act.� Each member shall serve for the duration of the commission, and vacancies
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.� The members
of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for
reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance
of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise
made available to the commission for its purposes.

���� d.� The commission shall
organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its public members
and shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members,
as well as a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.� A majority
of the membership of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of commission business.� The commission may meet and hold hearings
at the place or places the commission designates.

���� The Department of Agriculture
shall provide staff support to the commission.� The commission shall be
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission,
or agency as the commission may require and as may be available to the
commission for its purposes.

���� e.� No later than one year
after its organization, the commission shall prepare and submit to the Governor
and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature,
a final report detailing the commission�s plan to increase the production and
use of native seeds in the State, including any recommendations for legislative
or regulatory action that are necessary to effectuate the plan.�
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The
final report prepared by the commission shall include:

����
(1) �an assessment of the
current and projected demand for native seeds by State agencies, local
governments, nonprofit organizations, and private entities;

����
(2) �an assessment of the
current capacity of New Jersey growers, nurseries, and seed suppliers to meet the
demand for native seeds;

����
(3) �an analysis of the
costs and benefits, including installation costs, maintenance costs, lifecycle
costs, environmental benefits, and anticipated long-term savings, associated
with the use of native seeds in public environmental projects, including those
for:

����
(a)� land management;

����
(b)� roadside rights-of-way;

����
(c)� roadside landscaping;

����
(d)� reforestation;

����
(e)� habitat restoration;

����
(f� stormwater management;
and

����
(g)� any other public
projects that the commission deems amenable to the use of native seeds;

����
(4) �an evaluation of the
regulatory, logistical, technical, and market barriers to increasing the
production, commercial availability, and use of native seeds in New Jersey;

����
(5) �recommendations
concerning funding mechanisms, procurement standards, market development
strategies, and other actions necessary to increase the availability and use of
native seeds in New Jersey, including recommendations concerning seed sourcing,
regional suitability, species diversity, contamination prevention, and the use
of substitute seed materials when a native seed is unavailable; and

����
(6) �the identification of no
fewer than three pilot project opportunities for the use of native seeds on
lands owned or managed by the Department of Transportation, the Department of
Environmental Protection, or other public entities, including a description of
the anticipated operational, environmental, and maintenance considerations
associated with each pilot project, which considerations shall include, but not
be limited to, impacts on roadside vegetation management, pollinator habitat
development, erosion control, stormwater management, and infrastructure
resilience.
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���� f.�
1
If
the commission�s final report includes recommendations for regulatory or
administrative action, the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the
Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation,
shall, within 180 days of receipt of the commission�s final report, submit a
follow-up report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2
of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), evaluating those recommendations.� The
evaluation shall, at a minimum, identify any:

����
(1)� regulatory or
administrative action already taken in response to the commission�s report;

����
(2)�� rule or regulation
proposed in response to the commission�s report; and

����
(3)� further actions the
State may take in response to the commission�s report.

����
g.
1
�The
commission shall expire 30 days after submission of its final report pursuant
to subsection e. of this section.�

����
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[
g.
]

h.
1
As used
in this section, �native seed� means a germinating seed, or other plant part
used to propagate a plant, that originates from a plant species that is
indigenous to New Jersey.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.