Establishes program and investment fund in DEP to support implementation of Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; authorizes creation of special Wildlife Corridor license plates.

S4364

SENATE, No. 4364

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� BOB SMITH

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes program and investment fund in DEP to
support implementation of Wildlife Corridor Action Plan; authorizes creation of
special Wildlife Corridor license plates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the implementation of the Department of
Environmental Protection�s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan, and supplementing
P.L.2025, c.77 (
C.23:2A-7.1)
and Title 39
of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� �Action plan� means the
�Wildlife Corridor Action Plan� developed pursuant to subsection b. of section
1 of P.L.2025, c.77 (C.23:2A-7.1).

���� �Chief administrator� means
the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

���� �Commission� means the New
Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission established by section 4 of P.L.2003, c.13
(C.39:2A-4).

���� �Crossing project� means the
same as the term is defined in subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.2025, c.77
(C.23:2A-7.1).

���� �Fund� means the �Wildlife
Corridor Investment Fund� established pursuant to subsection a. of section 6 of
this act.

���� �Program� means the
public-private partnership program established pursuant to subsection a. of
section 2 of this act.

���� �Transportation project� means
the same as the term is defined in subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.2025, c.77
(C.23:2A-7.1).

���� �Wildlife corridor� means the
same as the term is defined in subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.2025, c.77
(C.23:2A-7.1).

���� 2.��� a.� No later than 12
months after the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan is submitted to the Governor and
Legislature pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2025, c.77
(C.23:2A-7.1), the Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with
the Department of Transportation, shall establish a program to facilitate
partnerships with private businesses, non-profit organizations, academic
institutions, and philanthropic organizations to support the implementation of
wildlife corridors and crossing projects identified in the action plan.� The
program shall be set up to enable the participating entities to provide
financial support, technical assistance, research, or other resources to
facilitate the planning, construction, monitoring, and maintenance of wildlife
corridors and crossing projects identified in the action plan.

���� b.� The Commissioner of
Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Transportation shall jointly
appoint a program liaison.� The liaison shall be responsible for:

���� (1) identifying and securing
applicable federal, State, or private grant funding opportunities or other
forms of financial assistance;

���� (2) facilitating and
overseeing the program�s partnership agreements; and

���� (3) monitoring the use of
monies expended by the Wildlife Corridor Investment Fund to support wildlife
corridors and crossing projects.

���� c.� No later than 12 months
after the program�s implementation and every five years thereafter, the
Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the Department of
Transportation, shall prepare and submit a report to the Governor, and to the
Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a summary
of the program�s effectiveness.� The report shall include:

���� (1) the status of wildlife
corridors and crossing projects supported by partnership agreements or external
funding;

���� (2) the amount and sources of
public and private monies utilized by the program;

���� (3) the effectiveness of
wildlife corridors and crossing projects supported by the Wildlife Corridor
Investment Fund based on wildlife monitoring data and transportation safety
reports; and

���� (4) recommendations for
funding strategies, infrastructure improvements, and Legislative or regulatory
policies that enhance wildlife corridor connectivity and public safety.

���� 3.��� a.� Upon proper
application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
shall issue Wildlife Corridor license plates for any motor vehicle owned or
leased and registered in this State.� In addition to the registration number
and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, the license
plates shall display appropriate words or a slogan and emblem honoring the
State�s wildlife protected by wildlife corridors and crossing projects.� The
chief administrator shall, in consultation with the Commissioner of the
Department of Environmental Protection, select the design and color scheme of
the Wildlife Corridor license plates.� The Wildlife Corridor license plates
shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised
Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise specifically provided.

���� b.� Application for issuance
of Wildlife Corridor license plates shall be made to the chief administrator on
forms and in a manner prescribed by the chief administrator. �In order to be
deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by a fee of $50, payable
to the commission, which shall be in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed
by law for the registration of a motor vehicle.� The chief administrator shall
collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the Wildlife Corridor
license plates, a $10 fee for the license plates in addition to the fees
otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. �The
additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited in the �Wildlife
Corridor Investment Fund� established pursuant to subsection a. of section 6 of
this act.

���� c.� Prior to the deposit of
the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into
the fund amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the
commission for all costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the
chief administrator, for:

���� (1) designing, producing,
issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Wildlife Corridor
license plates; and

���� (2) any computer programming
changes that may be initially necessary to implement the Wildlife Corridor
license plate program in an amount not to exceed $150,000.

���� The chief administrator shall
annually certify to the State Treasurer the average cost per license plate
incurred in the immediately preceding year by the commission in producing,
issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Wildlife Corridor
license plates.� The annual certification of the average cost per license plate
shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.

���� In the event that the average
cost per license plate as certified by the chief administrator and approved by
the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, is greater than the $50
application fee established in subsection b. of this section in two consecutive
fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of Wildlife
Corridor license plates.

���� d.� The chief administrator shall
notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Wildlife Corridor
license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the
website of the commission.� The Department of Environmental Protection, and any
other individual or entity designated by the Commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Protection, may publicize the availability of the license plates
in any manner that the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental
Protection deems appropriate.

���� e.� The chief administrator
and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall develop and enter into a
memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying
out their respective responsibilities under this section.

���� f.� The Commissioner of
Environmental Protection shall appoint a representative who shall act as a
liaison between the Department of Environmental Protection and the commission.�
The liaison shall represent the Department of Environmental Protection in any
and all communications with the commission regarding the license plates
established by this section.

���� 4.��� a.� State or public
funds shall not be used by the commission for the initial cost of:

���� (1) designing, producing,
issuing, and publicizing the availability of Wildlife Corridor license plates;
or

���� (2) any computer programming
changes that may be necessary to implement the Wildlife Corridor license plate
program established by section 3 of this act.

���� b.� The individual or entity
designated by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall contribute
non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not
to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the initial costs incurred
by the commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the
availability of Wildlife Corridor license plates, and any computer programming
that may be necessary to implement the program.� Concerned organizations and
individual donors may contribute monies to the Department of Environmental
Protection to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission
for the Wildlife Corridor license plates authorized by section 3 of this act.�
Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial cost shall be deposited
in the �Wildlife Corridor Investment Fund� established pursuant to subsection a.
of section 6 of this act.

���� c.���� The commission shall
not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of
Wildlife Corridor license plates, or making any necessary programming changes,
until the following requirements have been met:

���� (1)�� the individual or entity
designated by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection has provided the
commission with the money necessary, as determined by the chief administrator
pursuant to subsection b. of this section, to offset the initial costs incurred
by the commission in establishing the Wildlife Corridor license plate program;
and

���� (2)�� the representative
appointed by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection pursuant to
subsection f. of section 3 of this act has provided the commission with not
less than 500 completed applications for Wildlife Corridor license plates.�
These applications shall constitute the initial order for Wildlife Corridor
license plates and shall be accompanied by a fee representing the total cost of
the initial order.� The fee shall be determined by multiplying the number of
sets of license plates being ordered by the applicable initial fee for each set
of license plates as set forth in subsection b. of section 3 of this act.

���� 5.��� a.� No later than 12
months after the effective date of this act, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission shall establish a system that allows a person that pays a fee for
any service offered by the commission, including, but not limited to: vehicle
registration; vehicle inspection; vehicle title; issuance of an identification
card or driver�s license; or any renewal thereof, to voluntarily contribute
monies to the �Wildlife Corridor Investment Fund� established pursuant to subsection
a. of section 6 of this act.� All monies collected by the commission pursuant
to this subsection shall be deposited into the fund.�

���� b.� The commission shall be
reimbursed from the monies collected pursuant to subsection a. of this section,
prior to the deposit of the monies into the fund, for all costs reasonably and
actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for any computer
programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the donation
system.

���� 6.��� a.� There is established
in the Department of Environmental Protection a special, nonlapsing fund to be
known as the �Wildlife Corridor Investment Fund.�� Monies in the fund shall be
held separately and be dedicated solely for the purpose of making qualifying
expenditures.

���� b.� The fund shall be credited
with:

���� (1) monies secured by
partnership agreements made under the program established pursuant to
subsection a. of section 2 of this act;

���� (2) monies collected by the
Motor Vehicle Commission from all license plate fees collected pursuant to
subsection b. of section 3 of this act, less the amounts necessary to reimburse
the commission for the administrative costs pursuant to subsection c. of
section 3 of this act;

���� (3) monies collected by the
Motor Vehicle Commission from all voluntary contributions made by the public
collected pursuant to subsection a. of section 5 of this act, less the amounts
necessary to reimburse the commission for the administrative costs pursuant to
subsection b. of section 5 of this act;

���� (4) grants, gifts, donations,
or other monies received from any source public or private, dedicated for
deposit into the fund and approved by the State Treasurer;

���� (5) any other monies
appropriated by the Legislature or otherwise made available to the fund for the
purposes enumerated by subsection d. of this section; and

���� (6) any interest earnings or
other investment income earned or received on the monies in the fund.

���� c.� All monies appropriated or
otherwise made available to the fund shall be dedicated for the purposes of the
fund. �Pending use, monies in the fund may be invested and reinvested in the
same manner as other monies of the Department of Environmental Protection in
the manner provided by law. �All earnings received from the investment or
deposit of such monies shall be paid into and become a part of the fund and be
available for use pursuant to subsection d. of this section.

���� d.� Monies in the fund shall
be used for:

���� (1) costs associated with the
implementation of the program, including, but not limited to, wildlife
corridors and crossing projects identified by the action plan, and
administrative expenses deemed necessary by the Department of Environmental
Protection and the Department of Transportation;

���� (2) monitoring and collecting
data on wildlife in the State;

���� (3) researching and evaluating
wildlife corridors, crossing projects, and the impact of transportation
projects as identified in the action plan; and

���� (4) public education campaigns
related to wildlife corridors.

���� e.� The Department of
Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of
Transportation, shall develop criteria for the equitable distribution of monies
in the fund, prioritizing high-risk wildlife-vehicle collision areas and
projects demonstrating the greatest environmental and transportation safety
benefits.

���� 7.��� The Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the Commissioner of
Transportation, may, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure
Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as
necessary to implement sections 1, 2, and 6 of this act.

���� 8.��� This act shall take
effect immediately, but sections 3 and 4 shall remain inoperative until the
first day of the 13th month following the date on which the conditions set
forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) subsection c. of section 4 of this act have
been satisfied.� The chief administrator may take such anticipatory actions in
advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of
sections 3 and 4 of this act.� Sections 3 and 4 of this act shall expire if the
conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) subsection c. of section 4 of
this act are not satisfied by the last day of the 12th month following
enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish a
public-private partnership program (partnership program) in the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), in conjunction with the Department of
Transportation (DOT), in order to implement the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (action
plan) developed pursuant to P.L.2025, c.77 (C.23:2A-7.1).� The bill would also
establish a Wildlife Corridor Investment Fund (fund) in the DEP which would be
used, in part, to pay costs associated with the implementation of the program.

���� Under the bill, the DEP and
DOT would jointly appoint a liaison to assist with the facilitation of
partnerships with private businesses, non-profit organizations, academic
institutions, and philanthropic organizations to support the implementation of
wildlife corridors and crossing projects identified in the action plan.� The
partnership program would be set up to enable the participating entities to
provide financial support, technical assistance, research, or other resources
to facilitate the planning, construction, monitoring, and maintenance of
wildlife corridors and crossing projects identified in the action plan.

���� Additionally, the bill would
require the partnership program�s liaison to be responsible for identifying and
securing applicable federal, State, or private grant funding opportunities or
other forms of financial assistance and monitoring the use of monies expended
by the fund to support wildlife corridors and crossing projects.� No later than
12 months after the partnership program�s implementation and every five years
thereafter, the bill would require the DEP and DOT to submit a report to the
Governor and Legislature concerning the partnership program�s effectiveness and
other facets of the program as detailed in the bill�s provisions.

���� The bill would also authorize
the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission (commission) to issue Wildlife Corridor license plates.� The license
plates are to be designed by the chief administrator in consultation with the
Commissioner of Environmental Protection (commissioner) and feature an emblem
that honors the State�s wildlife protected by wildlife corridors and crossing
projects.� In addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees, there
would be an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the
Wildlife Corridor license plates.� After deducting the costs to implement the
plates, the additional fees collected would be deposited into the fund
established by the bill.

���� The bill would require the
chief administrator to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing,
renewing, and publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates.� If
the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the
chief administrator may discontinue the Wildlife Corridor license plate
program.� Under the bill, the commissioner would be required to represent the
DEP in all communications with the commission regarding the Wildlife Corridor
license plates.

���� Under the bill, the commission
would not be required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the available of
Wildlife Corridor license plates, or make any necessary programming changes
until: (1) an individual or entity designated by the commissioner has provided
the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by
the commission in establishing the Wildlife Corridor license plate program; and
(2) the representative appointed by the commissioner has provided the
commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications.

���� The bill would also require
the commission to establish a system which allows a person that pays a fee for
any service offered by the commission, including, but not limited to: vehicle
registration; vehicle inspection; vehicle title; issuance of an identification
card or driver�s license; or any renewal thereof, to voluntarily contribute
monies to the fund established by the bill.� Under the bill, monies collected
by this public donation system would be deposited into the fund, minus any
computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the
donation system.

���� Finally, in addition to paying
costs associated with implementation of the program, the bill would provide
that monies in the fund could only be used for: (1) monitoring and collecting
data on wildlife in the State; (2) researching and evaluating wildlife
corridors, crossing projects, and the impact of transportation projects as
identified in the action plan; and (3) public education campaigns related to
wildlife corridors.� The bill would require the DEP and DOT to develop criteria
for the equitable distribution of monies in the fund, prioritizing high-risk
wildlife-vehicle collision areas and projects demonstrating the greatest
environmental and transportation safety benefits.� The fund would be credited
with: (1) monies secured by partnership agreements made under the program; (2)
monies collected by the commission through special license plate fees collected
pursuant to the bill�s provisions, less administrative costs borne by the
commission; (3) monies collected by the commission through voluntary
contributions made by the public to the fund pursuant to the bill�s provisions,
less administrative costs borne by the commission; (4) grants, gifts,
donations, or other monies received from any source public or private,
dedicated for deposit into the fund and approved by the State Treasurer; (5)
any other monies appropriated by the Legislature or otherwise made available to
the fund for the purposes enumerated by the bill; and (6) any interest earnings
or other investment income earned or received on the monies in the fund.