Establishes "Revolutionary War Park Study Commission."

A1805

ASSEMBLY, No. 1805

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)

Assemblyman ALEX SAUICKIE

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "Revolutionary War Park Study
Commission."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
establishing the �Revolutionary War Park Study
Commission.�

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

���� 1.��� a.� As the 250
th

anniversary of the United States approaches, along with the anniversaries of
the crucial battles of Trenton and Princeton that helped secure the American
Revolution, there is established the �Revolutionary War Park Study
Commission.�� The purpose of the commission shall be to evaluate the
feasibility of forming a National Historical Park that would include the
existing Washington Crossing State Park, Trenton Battle Monument, and Princeton
Battlefield State Park, and to evaluate the impact, including the advantages
and disadvantages, of creating a National Historical Park.�

���� b.��� The commission shall
consist of nine members as follows:

���� (1)�� the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (2)�� two members of the
Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate, which members shall not
be of the same political party;

���� (3)�� two members of the
General Assembly to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, which
members shall not be of the same political party;

���� (4)�� the Executive Director
of the New Jersey Historical Commission, ex officio, or a designee; and

���� (5)�� three public members
appointed by the Governor, with expertise in a field essential to preserving
historical resources, such as, but not limited to, history, architecture,
planning, engineering, and archaeology.

���� c.���� Appointments to the
commission shall be made within 60 days following the effective date of this
act.� The commission shall organize as soon as practicable after the
appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson from among its
membership, and a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.�

���� d.��� A majority of the
commission shall constitute a quorum.� The commission may conduct business
without a quorum, but may only vote on recommendations when a quorum is
present.� The commission shall meet at the call of its chairperson, at the
times and in the places the chairperson may deem appropriate and necessary to
effectuate the commission�s duties, and it may conduct public hearings at such
place or places as the chairperson designates.

���� e.���� Vacancies in the
membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the
original appointment was made.

���� f.���� Members of the
commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for
necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties
as members of the commission within the limits of funds appropriated or
otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.

���� g.��� The commission shall be
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the
officials and employees of the State and its political subdivisions and their
departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, and agencies as it may require and
as may be available to it for the purposes of the commission.� The Department
of Environmental Protection shall provide staff support services to the
commission.

���� 2.��� a.� The �Revolutionary
War Park Study Commission� shall evaluate:

���� (1) the feasibility of establishing
a National Historical Park by taking into consideration (a) any federal
requirements, (b) the distance between the parks, (c) differences in park
management, and (d) any other potential issues that may arise when establishing
a National Historical Park;

���� (2)�� solutions to mitigate
potential issues arising from the establishment of a National Historical Park;
and

���� (3)�� the impact, advantages,
and disadvantages of creating a National Historical Park, including:

���� (a)�� the impact of creating a
National Historical Park on the preservation of historical and ecological
resources located within the parks, such as buildings, scenery, historical
objects, landmarks, and wildlife;

���� (b)�� the impact of creating a
National Historical Park on neighboring communities and businesses, including
the potential effects of additional visitors to certain areas of the State, in
particular during the years surrounding the 250
th
anniversary of the
founding of the United States of America;

���� (c) the impact of converting
State or private lands to federal parkland;

���� (d)�� the impact of creating a
National Historical Park on local tax revenue, and on total State tourism
revenue; and

���� (e)�� any additional potential
impacts, advantages, and disadvantages that the commission chooses to discuss.

���� b.��� The commission shall
issue a final report of its findings and conclusions to the Governor and,
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no
later than one year following the first meeting of the commission.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission by the commission of
its report pursuant to section 2 of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish the
�Revolutionary War Park Study Commission� to evaluate the feasibility of
forming a National Historical Park that would include the existing Washington
Crossing State Park, Trenton Battle Monument, and Princeton Battlefield State
Park.� The commission would consist of nine members: the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection; two members of the Senate to be appointed by the
President of the Senate; two members of the General Assembly to be appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly; the Executive Director of the New Jersey
Historical Commission; and three public members appointed by the Governor, all
of whom would be required to have expertise in a field essential to preserving
historical resources.

���� The commission would evaluate:

���� (1)�� the feasibility of
establishing a National Historical Park;

���� (2)�� the impact, advantages,
and disadvantages of creating a National Historical Park; and

���� (3)�� solutions to mitigate
any potential issues arising from the establishment of a National Historical
Park.�

���� The commission would issue a
final report of its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the
Legislature no later than one year following the first meeting of the
commission.� The commission would expire upon the submission of the
commission�s report.