Establishes State Seal Task Force to review the State seal.

A4115

ASSEMBLY, No. 4115

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes State Seal Task Force to review the State
seal.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing a State Seal Task Force to review
the State seal.

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

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that the New Jersey State seal was adopted in May of 1777.� The
State has significantly changed since that time, and some believe that the
State seal no longer provides an accurate representation of the State.� It is
appropriate for a task force to study and review the design of the State seal
for New Jersey�s present and future.�

���� 2.��� There is established a
task force, to be known as the State Seal Task Force.� The task force shall
consist of 11 members as follows: the Secretary of State and the Commissioner
of the Department of Community Affairs, or a designee, shall serve ex-officio;
a representative from the New Jersey Historical Commission; a representative
from the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism; the President of the Senate
shall appoint one member from the Senate; the Speaker of the General Assembly
shall appoint one member from the General Assembly; and the Governor shall
appoint five public members.�

���� The public members appointed
by the Governor shall have been residents of New Jersey for at least 15 years.�

���� At least two of the public
members appointed by the Governor shall be high school students and, if less
than 18 years of age, shall be required to provide written permission from a
parent or guardian to participate in the task force.� A parent or guardian
shall accompany the underage student at all times to meetings and other
activities relating to the task force.�

���� 3.��� The members of the task
force shall be appointed and hold their initial organization meeting within 45
days after the effective date of this act.� The members shall elect one of the
members to serve as chair and one of the members to serve as vice-chair.� The
chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the task force.� The
members shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for
reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance
of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise
made available to the task force.�

���� 4.��� The task force shall
meet at the call of the chair.� A meeting of the task force may be called at
the request of six of the task force�s members, and six members of the task
force shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof.� The task force shall
hold at least three public hearings and elicit testimony from the public at
such times and places as the task force designates.�

���� 5.��� It shall be the duty of
the task force to study the State seal for the purpose of updating the seal to
make it more current and reflective of what New Jersey represents.�

���� At a minimum, the task force
shall:

���� a.���� review the history of
the State seal;

���� b.��� review the history of
the design of the State seal;

���� c.���� analyze the population
makeup and industrial sectors of the State at the time the seal was created and
compare that with the current population makeup and industrial sectors of the
State;

���� d.��� assess the inclusiveness
and representation of the State seal;�

���� e.���� consider possible
changes to the State seal to make it more reflective of the State;

���� f.���� consider the advantages
and disadvantages of changing the State seal; and

���� g.��� make recommendations as
to whether or not the State seal should be redesigned.

���� 6.��� The task force shall be
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau,
commission or agency, as it may require and as may be available for its
purposes, and to employ stenographic and clerical assistance and incur
traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as may be necessary in order to
perform its duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to the task force.

���� 7.��� The task force shall
report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, pursuant to section
2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and the Governor within 18 months of its
initial organizational meeting.�

���� 8.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire after the task force submits its findings
and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.�

STATEMENT

���� The New Jersey State seal was adopted
in May of 1777.� The State has significantly changed since that time, and some
believe that the seal no longer provides an accurate representation of the
State.�

���� This bill establishes a task
force to be known at the State Seal Task Force.� The task force will consider
changing the State seal to update it to be more reflective of New Jersey
today.�

���� At a minimum, the task force will:

���� review the history of the
State seal;

���� review the history of the
design of the State seal;

���� analyze the population makeup
and industrial sectors of the State at the time the seal was created and
compare that with the current population makeup and industrial sectors of the
State;

���� assess the inclusiveness and
representation of the State seal;�

���� consider possible changes to
the State seal to make it more reflective of the State;

���� consider the advantages and
disadvantages of changing the State seal; and

���� make recommendations as to
whether or not the State seal should be redesigned.

���� The task force will consist of
11 members, five of whom will be appointed by the Governor, including at least
two high school students.� The students appointed by the Governor who are under
the age of 18 will be required to provide written permission from a parent or
guardian to participate in the task force.�

���� The task force will report its
findings and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor within 18
months of its initial organizational meeting.� The task force will expire after
the submission of its report.