Bill
A 2993
Allows counties and municipalities to voluntarily give up to $70,000 annually to local 501(c)(19) veterans’ nonprofits to fund veteran services, with annual use accounting.
Status
- Introduced: January 9, 2024
- Assembly committee reported with amendments: January 23, 2025
- Passed Assembly: January 30, 2025 (75-0-0)
- Received in Senate: February 3, 2025; reported by Senate Community & Urban Affairs Committee with amendments: May 12, 2025
- Referred to Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee: May 12, 2025
- Companion bill: S-4378
Purpose
- Authorizes counties and municipalities in New Jersey to make annual voluntary cash contributions to certain nonprofit veterans’ organizations located in their jurisdiction, to help address veterans’ needs and services.
Key provisions
- Local contribution cap: Permits a governing body of a county or municipality to make a voluntary contribution of up to $70,000 annually to any eligible nonprofit veterans’ organization located in that county or municipality.
- Eligible organizations: Defined as nonprofits that provide support services to U.S. armed forces veterans (physical, emotional, medical, etc.) and that qualify as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(19).
- Acceptable uses: Committee amendments specify the contribution is to be used to address issues concerning veterans — including, but not limited to, housing assistance, food security, mental health and suicide prevention, career transition and advancement, transportation, and veteran family resources.
- Accountability: As amended by the Senate committee, recipient veterans’ organizations must provide the governing body and the chief financial officer (CFO) of the county or municipality with an accounting of all funds contributed by that county/municipality in the previous year, including how funds were used for programs or resources accessible to veterans within the jurisdiction.
- Relation to existing law: The bill amends R.S.40:5-2. Current statute already permits up to $125,000 annually in voluntary contributions for first aid/volunteer ambulance or rescue associations; those existing provisions (including an audit requirement when contributions exceed $70,000) remain in place.
- Effective date: Immediately upon enactment.
Who is affected
- Counties and municipalities (may decide whether to allocate funds).
- Nonprofit veterans’ organizations located in the contributing locality that meet 501(c)(19) status.
- Veterans and veteran families who may receive expanded services funded by these contributions.
- Local governing bodies and CFOs (responsible for receiving accounting reports and oversight).
Potential fiscal impact and considerations
- Fiscal effect depends on local decisions; each local unit may choose whether to contribute and to which organizations, up to $70,000 per nonprofit annually.
- Adds a mechanism for targeted local funding of veterans’ support services while retaining existing funding authority for volunteer emergency services.
- Imposes modest administrative/oversight requirements (recipient accounting; local review).
Notes on amendments
- Assembly committee added enumerated service areas and required 501(c)(19) qualification.
- Senate committee added the annual accounting requirement and clarified that funds should address veterans within the contributing jurisdiction; it also removed a now-deleted provision regarding joint purchases under the Consolidated Municipal Services Act.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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