Establishes "New Jersey Invasive Species Task Force."

A1751

ASSEMBLY, No. 1751

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "New Jersey Invasive Species Task
Force."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
establishing the �New Jersey Invasive Species Task
Force,� and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.

����
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 Invasive Species Task
Force.�� The task force shall be comprised of nine members as follows:

���� (1) the Secretary of
Agriculture, or the secretary�s designee, who shall serve ex officio and shall
serve as a co-chairperson of the task force;

���� (2) the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex
officio and shall serve as a co-chairperson of the task force;

���� (3) the Commissioner of
Health, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (4) the State Forester, or the
State Forester�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (5) the Executive Director of
the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State
University, or the Executive Director�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;
and

���� (6) four public members, to be
appointed as follows:� two public members to be appointed by the Governor; one
public member to be appointed by the President of the Senate; and one public
member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, all of whom shall have extensive
knowledge of invasive species.

���� b.� All appointed members
shall be appointed within 30 days after the effective date of this act. �Any
vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointments were made.

���� c.� The task force shall
organize no more than 90 days following the effective date of this act.� The
task force shall hold public meetings on a quarterly basis.� The public
meetings shall take place throughout the State, and at least one public meeting
shall take place on an annual basis in each of the following locations:� (1)
southern New Jersey, which shall include Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape
May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties; (2) central New Jersey, which
shall include Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and
Union Counties; and (3) northern New Jersey, which shall include Bergen, Essex,
Hudson, Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties.�

���� d.� The members shall serve
without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in
the performance of their duties and within the limits of funds appropriated or
otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.

���� e.� At least five members of
the task force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of task force
business.� In addition to the quarterly public meetings, the task force shall
meet at the call of the co-chairpersons.

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

���� g.� The task force shall be
subject to the provisions of the �Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings
Act,� P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.).

���� h.� A true copy of the minutes
of every meeting of the task force shall be prepared and made available to the
public.� The minutes shall also be made available on the Department of
Agriculture�s Internet website.

���� 2.��� a.� The New Jersey
Invasive Species Task Force shall:

���� (1) study the most efficient
methods of controlling and limiting the spread of invasive species;

���� (2) develop a plan to prevent
new invasive species from entering the State, and limit the continuing spread
of invasive species that are already present;

���� (3) develop a plan to restore threatened
or fragile ecosystems to their natural condition, and to repair damage caused
by invasive species;

���� (4) develop uniform policies
and a coordinated response to the threat posed by invasive species to the
State's native and agricultural vegetation, and ecological, cultural,
historical, or infrastructure resources;

���� (5) identify regulatory and
statutory obstacles and inefficiencies at the federal, State, and local levels
impeding the development or implementation of prevention, control, and
restoration efforts; and

���� (6) prepare a comprehensive
invasive species management plan for the State that includes an estimate of the
resources necessary for its implementation.�

���� b.� The task force shall prepare
a comprehensive list of all invasive species in the State including, but not
limited to, the following groups of invasive species: �(1) plants; (2) animals;
(3) amphibians; (4) insects; (5) fish; (6) fungi; (7) bacteria, viruses, and other
microorganisms; (8) algae; and (9) the seeds or eggs of a non-native species.�
The task force shall classify the invasive species on the list based on the threat
the invasive species poses to the native species and biodiversity in the State,
and the severity of the existing infestation.� The list prepared pursuant to
this subsection shall be posted on the department�s Internet website.

���� c.� The task force shall
update the list of invasive species at least once every three years.� When
determining whether to add a species to the list of invasive species, the
department shall consider:

���� (1) the threat the species
poses to native species in the State;

���� (2) the threat the species
poses to any sensitive habitats or endangered or threatened species in the
State;

���� (3) the threat the species
poses to any historical, cultural, or infrastructure resources in the State;

���� (4) the likelihood that the
species will escape intended cultivation areas and propagate uncontrolled in
the State; and

���� (5) the severity of an
existing infestation.

���� d.� Within 12 months after the
task force's organizational meeting, and at least annually thereafter, the task
force shall submit a written report of the task force�s findings, plans, and
recommendations, to the Governor, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature.� The annual report shall include
information outlining the current state of invasive species in the State,
common pathways invasive species use to enter the State, any known natural
predators of invasive species present in the State, data concerning the annual
spread or contraction of invasive species in the State, the impact of invasive
species by county, and policy recommendations to control and limit the spread
of invasive species, prevent new species from entering the State, and restore
ecosystems and repair damage caused by invasive species.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish the
�New Jersey Invasive Species Task Force� in the Department of Agriculture,
comprised of nine members.� The task force would be required to:� (1) study the
most efficient methods of controlling and limiting the spread of invasive
species; (2) develop a plan to prevent new invasive species from entering the
State and limit the continuing spread of invasive species that are already
present; (3) develop a plan to restore threatened or fragile ecosystems to
their natural condition; (4) repair damage caused by invasive species; (5) develop
uniform policies and a coordinated response to the threat posed by invasive
species to the State's native and agricultural vegetation, and ecological,
cultural, historical, or infrastructure resources; (6) identify regulatory and
statutory obstacles and inefficiencies at the federal, State, and local levels
impeding the development or implementation of prevention, control, and
restoration efforts; and (7) prepare a comprehensive invasive species management
plan for the State that includes an estimate of the resources necessary for its
implementation.

���� The task force which would be
comprised of five ex officio members or their designees, including the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the
Commissioner of Health, the State Forester, and the Executive Director of the
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State University.�
The task force would also include four public members, all of whom would have
extensive knowledge of invasive species, to be appointed as follows:� (1) two
public members to be appointed by the Governor; (2) one public member to be
appointed by the President of the Senate; and (3) one public member to be
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.�

���� This bill would designate the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or
their respective designees, as co-chairpersons of the New Jersey Invasive
Species Task Force.� The task force would be required to hold quarterly
meetings throughout the State, and at least one public meeting would be
required to take place on an annual basis in southern New Jersey, central New
Jersey, and northern New Jersey.

���� The task force would also be
required to prepare and update every three years, a comprehensive list of all
invasive species in the State, and prepare an annual report to be submitted to
the Governor and the Legislature.