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A183 • 2026

Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.

Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.

Agriculture
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 Agriculture and Natural Resources 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.

Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.

Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.
  • Topic: Agriculture and Natural Resources Fiscal note: This bill has not 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 Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Official Summary Text

Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.
Topic:
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A183

ASSEMBLY, No. 183

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

���� Increases minimum civil fine for harassing person
taking wildlife and increases criminal penalty for subsequent offenses.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

concerning harassing a person taking wildlife
and amending P.L.1993, c.11.�

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

���� 1.��� Section 3 of P.L.1993,
c.11 (C.23:7A-3) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� a.� The Director of the
Division of Fish
[
,
Game
]

and Wildlife may institute a civil action in the Superior Court for injunctive
and other relief for a violation of this act, and the court may proceed in the
action in a summary manner.�

���� b.��� A person who violates
this act shall be guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense
; however,
for a second or subsequent violation, the person shall be guilty of a
disorderly persons offense
.
�

���� c.���� A person who violates
this act shall be liable to a civil penalty of not less than
[
$100
]

$250

nor more than $500 for each offense, to be collected in a summary proceeding
under
[
"the
penalty enforcement law," N.J.S. 2A:58-1 et seq
]

the �Penalty Enforcement Law
of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.)
.� The Superior Court and the
municipal court for the municipality in which the violation occurred shall have
jurisdiction to enforce
[
"the
penalty enforcement law."
]

the �Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999.�

���� d.��� For the purposes of
subsections b. and c. of this section, if the violation is of a continuing
nature, each day during which it continues shall constitute an additional,
separate, and distinct offense.�

���� e.���� In addition to bringing
a civil action for injunctive relief or any other relief provided by law, a
person who is adversely affected by a violation of this act may bring a civil
action for damages, including punitive damages and special damages, against the
violator.� Special damages may include, but need not be limited to,
expenditures of the affected person for license and permit fees, travel
expenses, guide fees and expenses, and the cost of special equipment and
supplies, to the extent any such expenditures were rendered futile by the
action or activities of the violator.�

(cf: P.L.1993, c.11, s.3)�

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill increases the
minimum civil fine for harassing a person lawfully taking wildlife from $100 to
$250. The bill also establishes an enhanced penalty for repeat offenders. Under
current law, a person who harasses a hunter is guilty of a petty disorderly
persons offense, regardless of whether the person is a repeat offender. A petty
disorderly persons offense is punishable by imprisonment for up to 30 days, a
fine of up to $500, or both imprisonment and a fine.� Under this bill, a
subsequent offender would be committing a disorderly persons offense,
punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or
both imprisonment and a fine.