Requires Director of Division of Housing and Community Resources in DCA to establish grant program to encourage municipalities to develop recreational sports and STEM programs for children; appropriates $10 million.

A1969

ASSEMBLY, No. 1969

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires Director of Division of Housing and
Community Resources in DCA to establish grant program to encourage
municipalities to develop recreational sports and STEM programs for children;
appropriates $10 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
establishing a grant program to promote municipal
recreational sports and STEM programs for children, supplementing Title 52 of
the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.�

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

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.��� recreational sports and
athletics programs often serve an integral role in the development of children.
�In addition to providing healthy forms of exercise, recreational sports and
athletics foster friendships and camaraderie while promoting teamwork,
resiliency, and fair play, and instill the value of competition. �The benefits
and values of participating in recreational sports and athletics programs should
be actively promoted by local governments and made available to all children;

���� b.��� the science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field has become extremely important for
the success of the innovation economy both in New Jersey and the United States,
and STEM education is critical in developing a globally competitive workforce
in the 21st century.� Providing children with local opportunities to
participate in youth-focused recreational STEM programs provides a creative
outlet for children, encourages children to pursue degrees and careers in STEM
fields, and is critical for realizing greater economic innovation, success, and
equality; and

���� c.��� recreational sports and
athletics programs, and youth-focused recreational STEM programs, are critical
to the physical and mental health of children.� The programs provide children
with opportunities to interact socially with other children, form friendships
and build trusting relationships, and are an effective means to combat feelings
of depression, loneliness, and isolation.

���� 2.��� a.�������� The Director
of the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of
Community Affairs shall establish a competitive matching grant program to
encourage municipalities to develop and administer recreational sports and
athletics programs, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
programs for local children.� The STEM programs shall be youth-based,
recreational programs and shall focus on creative, age-appropriate and
entertaining activities, including but not limited to, robot-building, 3D
printing toys, and Lego programs.� The purpose of the matching grant program
shall be to provide a dollar-for-dollar match in grant funding to local
governments which develop and administer municipal-based recreational sports
and athletics programs or STEM programs for municipal children.

���� b.��� To participate in the
grant program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the
governing body of a municipality shall submit an application to the division in
a manner and on such forms as determined by the director.� An application shall
include information detailing the municipality�s proposed plans for the grant
funding, including, but not limited to:

���� (1)� identifying the specific
recreational sports and athletic programs or STEM programs that the
municipality intends to develop and administer;

���� (2)� the amount of the grant
funding being sought by the municipality;

���� (3)� the proposed sources of
matching funding to be used by the municipality to offer the recreational
sports and athletic programs or STEM programs; and

���� (4)� a description of how the
grant funding will be used to develop and administer the recreational sports
and athletic programs and STEM programs, including: the specific locations the
municipality plans to implement the programs, including any public libraries,
recreation departments, or other public buildings; the anticipated number, if
determinable, of participants each program will generate; specific measures the
municipality will take to maximize promotion and awareness of the programs; any
amounts necessary to compensate a program supervisor and to train non-paid
volunteers; and measures the municipality intends to take to ensure the
programs are offered for free or for reduced prices.

���� c.��� After reviewing the
applications submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the director
shall select municipalities in each of the northern, southern, and central
regions of the State, to participate in the program and shall seek a cross
section of programs from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State.� In
making the determination, the director shall designate factors concerning the
selection of grant recipients including, but not limited to, the municipal
contribution to the development and administration of the programs, the cost
effectiveness of the programs, and the municipality�s efforts to develop and
administer the programs to as many local children as possible.��

���� d.��� The director shall
develop a list of municipal costs that are eligible for matching grant funds
including, but not limited to, sports and athletics equipment, field and
equipment maintenance, insurance, lighting, salary for the program supervisor,
volunteer training, and any other costs the director deems appropriate.

���� 3.��� a.�������� Within one
year of receiving a grant pursuant to section 2 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.�������
) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), each participating
municipality shall submit a report to the Director of the Division of Housing
and Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs, in a manner and
on such forms as determined by the director, detailing:

���� (1)� the expenditures of the
grant funds under the program;

���� (2)� the total number of
recreational sports and athletics programs and STEM programs that have been:
developed and are operational; developed, but are not yet operational; and the
total number of additional recreational sports and athletics programs and STEM
programs the municipality intends to develop and administer; and

���� (3)� the impact, if
determinable, that the development and administration of recreational sports
and athletics programs and STEM programs has had in increasing participation of
children in those municipal programs.

���� b.��� The director shall
compile the reports submitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section for
inclusion in a comparative profile of the participating municipalities and
shall post the profile for public inspection on the division�s Internet website
in an easily accessible location.

���� c.��� Within one year of
posting the comparative profile required pursuant to subsection b. of this
section, the director shall submit a report to the Governor, and, pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature.� The report shall
contain information on the implementation of the grant program, including a
list of best practices concerning the promotion and participation of children
in municipal recreational sports and athletics programs and STEM programs.� The
director shall post the report for public inspection on the division�s Internet
website in an easily accessible location.

���� 4.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any Green Acres program for the purchase of land for recreation
and conservation purposes pursuant to P.L.1961, c.45� (C.13:8A-1 et seq.),
P.L.1971, c.419 (C.13:8A-19 et seq.), P.L.1975, c.155� (C.13:8A-35 et seq.),
any Green Acres bond act , and P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-1 et al .), no
participation fee shall be charged by the municipality for any person
participating in a recreational sports and athletics program or STEM program
for local children established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill); however, the Director of the Division of
Housing and Community Resources� may establish a list of premium services for
which the municipality may charge a specialty fee, including, but not limited
to, use of a scoreboard, a public address system, or nighttime lighting of
fields.�� �

���� 5.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the
Department of Community Affairs, the sum of $10,000,000 to effectuate the
purposes of this act.�

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

STATEMENT

����� This bill requires the Director of Division of
Housing and Community Resources (director) in the Department of Community
Affairs to establish a competitive grant program to encourage municipalities to
develop recreational sports and athletics programs and STEM programs for
children.� The bill provides that the STEM programs are to be youth-based,
recreational programs and that focus on creative, age-appropriate and
entertaining activities, including but not limited to, robot-building, 3D
printing toys, and Lego programs.� Under the bill, to participate in the grant
program, the governing body of a municipality is required to submit an
application to the division with information detailing the municipality�s
proposed plans for the grant funding, including, but not limited to:

�

identifying the specific recreational sports and athletic
programs or STEM programs that the municipality intends to develop and
administer;

�

the amount of the grant funding being sought by the municipality;

�

the proposed sources of matching funding to be used by the
municipality to offer the recreational sports and athletic programs or STEM
programs; and

�

a description of how the grant funding will be used to develop
and administer the recreational sports and athletic programs and STEM programs.

����� Under the bill, after reviewing the applications, the
director, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, will
select municipalities in each of the northern, southern, and central regions of
the State, to participate in the program and is required to seek a cross
section from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State.� The director is
required to develop a list of municipal costs that are eligible for matching
grant funds including, but not limited to, sports and athletics equipment, field
and equipment maintenance, insurance, lighting, salary for the program
supervisor, volunteer training, and any other costs the director deems
appropriate.

����� Within one year of receiving a grant, each
participating municipality is required to submit a report to the director,
detailing:

�

the expenditures of the grant funds under the program;

�

the total number of recreational sports and athletics programs
and STEM programs that have been: developed and are operational; developed, but
are not yet operational; and the total number of additional recreational sports
and athletics programs and STEM programs the municipality intends to develop
and administer; and

�

the impact, if determinable, that the development and
administration of recreational sports and athletics programs and STEM programs
has had in increasing participation of children in those municipal programs.

����� The bill requires the director to compile the reports
submitted for inclusion in a comparative profile of the participating
municipalities and to post the profile for public inspection on the division�s
Internet website in an easily accessible location.� The bill further requires
the director to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the grant
program.

����� The bill specifies that, notwithstanding the
provisions of any Green Acres program for the purchase of land for recreation
and conservation purposes, any Green Acres bond act, and P.L.1999, c.152
(C.13:8C-1 et al.), a municipality may not charge a participation fee for any
person participating in a recreational sports and athletics program or STEM
program for local children established pursuant to this bill.� However, the
bill specifies that the director may establish a list of premium services for
which the municipality may charge a specialty fee, including, but not limited
to, use of a scoreboard, a public address system, or nighttime lighting of
fields.