Establishes "Fiscal Integrity for Future Attractions (FIFA) Act"; establishes commission to review and approve agreements to host certain major events in this State.

A5011

ASSEMBLY, No. 5011

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 7, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� AL BARLAS

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman� CHRISTOPHER P. DEPHILLIPS

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Fantasia

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes �Fiscal Integrity for Future Attractions
(FIFA) Act�; establishes commission to review and approve agreements to host
certain major events in this State.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing the �Fiscal Integrity for Future
Attractions (FIFA) Act� and supplementing Title 5 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Fiscal Integrity for Future Attractions (FIFA) Act.�

���� 2.��� a.� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, whenever the
State, or any legal representative acting on behalf of the State, is required
to enter into any agreement in connection with the hosting or presence of a
major event or attraction in this State that requires the commitment of public
resources, the agreement shall be submitted to and shall require the approval
of the Commission on the Fiscal Integrity for Future Attractions established
under section 3 of P.L.�� , c.�� (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill) prior to being ratified. �In
addition, any further supplements, modifications, or addenda to any such
agreement that would require the commitment of additional public resources
shall be submitted to the commission and shall require the commission�s review
and approval prior to being ratified.� The approval of an agreement,
supplement, modification, or addenda as provided by this section shall require
a majority vote of the members of the commission. Any agreement, supplement,
modification, or addendum entered into by the State or on behalf of the State
in violation of this section shall be deemed null and void.

���� b.��� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to require the commission�s review and approval of an
agreement to which the State is not a party.

���� c. As used in this act, P.L.��
�, c.� ��(C.������ ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill:

���� �Major event or attraction�
means and includes any event or attraction that increases tourism to the State
of New Jersey and generates significant, immediate or long-term economic,
social and cultural benefits to the State, attracts significant numbers of
participants and spectators, or has a national profile outside of the region in
which it is being run, and generates significant media coverage in markets of
interest for tourism;

���� �Public resources� means and
includes transportation facilities such as train stations and parking
facilities; transportation services such as mass transit trains and buses;
roads and highways; security services such as police presence and protection; emergency
response personnel such as firefighters and emergency medical technicians; public
buildings; recreation centers; public works garages; water and sewer facilities
or services; open space; athletic fields; parks; or any other infrastructure
that is owned or operated by the State or by any board, commission, or
independent authority of the State, or by any political subdivision of the
State.�

���� 3.��� a.� There is established
an independent Commission on the Fiscal Integrity for Future Attractions which
shall be responsible for reviewing and approving agreements to which the State
is or may become a party, if the terms of the agreement require the commitment
of public resources in order to facilitate the hosting or presence of a major
event or attraction in this State, as further specified under section 2 of
P.L.�� , c.�� (C.������ ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). �The
commission shall have all such powers as may be necessary to review such
agreements, and 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
to it for that purpose.

���� b.��� The commission shall
consist of the following five members, who shall serve ex-officio:

���� the Governor;

���� the President of the Senate;

���� the Minority Leader of the
Senate;

���� the Speaker of the General
Assembly; and

���� the Minority Leader of the
General Assembly.�

���� The members of the commission
shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses
actually incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the
commission.

���� c.��� The commission shall
formulate and adopt rules of procedure for the conduct of the business of the
commission in exercising its powers and fulfilling its duties under this
section.� All actions and decisions of the commission shall require a majority
vote of the members of the commission.

���� d.��� The Office of
Legislative Services shall provide staffing for the work of the commission.

���� e.��� All meetings of the
commission shall be open to the public and all the business of the commission
shall be transacted at public meetings held at such times and places as the
commission shall prescribe.� The Office of Legislative Services shall keep the
minutes of each meeting of the commission and shall make the meeting minutes
available for public view on a public-facing Internet website.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes
an independent Commission on the Fiscal Impact of Future
Attractions (FIFA) to review certain agreements entered into by the State in
order to facilitate the hosting of major events or attractions in this State.�
In doing so, the bill provides for complete transparency between the Executive
and Legislative Branches of State Government, ensures that thoughtful
consideration is given to the potential impacts, fiscal and otherwise, that
come with hosting major events, and safeguards public resources, safety, and
trust, which are essential when hosting events of such scale.

���� Under
the bill, the
State, or any legal representative acting on behalf of the
State, is prohibited from entering into any agreement that requires the
commitment of public resources to facilitate the hosting or presence of a major
event or attraction in New Jersey without prior approval from the commission.� Any
supplements, modifications, or addenda to an agreement to which the State is a
party and that would require the commitment of additional public resources, are
also required to be independently reviewed and approved prior to being ratified.�
Approval of an agreement, supplement, modification, or addendum will require a
majority vote of the members of the commission.

���� The
commission will consist of the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, and the
Minority Leader of the General Assembly.�

���� The
bill defines �major event or attraction� to mean
and include any event
or attraction that increases tourism to the State of New Jersey and generates
significant, immediate or long-term economic, social and cultural benefits to
the State, attracts significant numbers of participants and spectators, or has
a national profile outside of the region in which it is being run, and generates
significant media coverage in markets of interest for tourism.

���� The bill defines �public
resources� to mean and include transportation facilities such as train stations
and parking facilities; transportation services such as mass transit trains and
buses; roads and highways; security services such as police presence and
protection; emergency response personnel such as firefighters and emergency
medical technicians; public buildings; recreation centers; public works
garages; water and sewer facilities or services; open space; athletic fields;
parks; or any other infrastructure that is owned or operated by the State or by
any board, commission, or independent authority of the State, or by any
political subdivision of the State.�