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A175 • 2026

Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.

Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.

Budget
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Fantasia, Dawn
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.

Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.
  • Topic: State and Local Government Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.
Topic:
State and Local Government
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A175

ASSEMBLY, No. 175

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and
historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared
due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ
Constitution.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning
the
continued operation of certain
State parks, sites, and areas, and
supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� a.� The Commissioner of
Environmental Protection shall develop a plan for the continued operation of
all State parks and forests, State recreation areas, State historic sites,
State natural areas, and State wildlife management areas during a state of emergency
that is declared due to the failure to enact a general appropriation law by the
deadline prescribed by Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 2 of the New Jersey
Constitution.� The plan shall designate the State employees that are essential
to provide for the services at each State park and forest, State recreation
area, State historic site, State natural area, and State wildlife management
area.

���� b.��� In the event that a
state of emergency is declared due to the failure to enact a general
appropriation law by the deadline prescribed by Article VIII, Section II,
paragraph 2 of the New Jersey Constitution, the operation of State parks and
forests, State recreation areas, State historic sites, State natural areas, and
State wildlife management areas shall continue and all such locations shall be
open to the public for a period not to exceed seven calendar days.� All State
employees that have been designated as necessary to provide for the government
services at each State park and forest, State recreation area, State historic
site, State natural area, and State wildlife management area shall be
considered essential personnel.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill would require that
State parks and forests, State recreation areas, State historic sites, State
natural areas, and State wildlife management areas would continue to be open to
the public for a period not to exceed seven calendar days if a state of
emergency is declared due to the failure to enact a general appropriation law
by the deadline prescribed by Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 2 of the New
Jersey Constitution.� The Department of Environmental Protection would be
required to develop a plan for the continued operation of those locations if
such a state of emergency is declared which would designate those State
employees necessary to continue to provide services.