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S 3277

Establishes a process for designating transfer-on-death beneficiaries for farming implements

2025 Regular Session Introduced by James Skoufis

The bill redirects excess animal control fees to fund enforcement, prosecution, and humane officer training for animal cruelty laws.

REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE
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Bill Summary · S 3277

Summary — S.3277 (Reprint)

Topic: Redistribution and use of unexpended animal control funds for enforcement, prosecution, and training related to animal cruelty laws

Overview / Purpose

S.3277 redirects certain unexpended monies collected under New Jersey animal control statutes (municipal animal license fees and State dog registration tag fees) away from municipal or State general funds and instead channels those “excess” funds to law‑enforcement entities for use in enforcing and prosecuting the State’s animal cruelty laws and for training humane law enforcement officers.

Key provisions

  • Changes the post‑three‑year disposition of special account balances:
    • Municipal special accounts: any amount remaining after the end of the municipal fiscal year that exceeds the total paid into the account during the prior two fiscal years is sent to the county prosecutor’s office (rather than to the municipal general fund).
    • Of amounts sent to the county prosecutor: 40% retained by the prosecutor’s office; 60% equally distributed to the municipalities in that county (to special municipal accounts).
    • State trust fund (dog registration tag fees held by the Department of Health): excess amounts are transmitted to the Superintendent of State Police (rather than to the State General Fund).
    • Of amounts sent to the Superintendent: 40% retained by the Division of State Police; 50% equally distributed to the chief humane law enforcement officer in each county (who must equally distribute to municipal chief law enforcement officers for municipal humane officers); 10% to the Law Enforcement Officers Training and Equipment Fund for use by the Police Training Commission.
  • Use restrictions:
    • Funds (except the 10% training allocation) must be used exclusively to offset costs of and facilitate enforcement/prosecution of State animal cruelty laws, including investigations, prosecutions, and necropsies.
    • Training funds must be used exclusively by the Police Training Commission to offset costs of training humane law enforcement officers.
  • Administrative authorities (county prosecutors, Superintendent, county humane chiefs) may transfer monies among appropriate accounts to effectuate the bill’s purposes.
  • Technical/grammatical committee amendments corrected fund name references and grammar.

Fiscal impact

  • Office of Legislative Services: indeterminate annual redistribution of State and local revenues.
  • Existing fee context (examples): municipal dog license fees vary (about $1.50–$21 depending on locale and term); state tag fees include smaller surcharges (e.g., $0.20 pilot clinic fee, $1.00 tag fee forwarded to DOH, $3.00 for intact dogs, $0.20 per license in some statutes). Total amounts available for redistribution are not specified; impact depends on accumulated unexpended balances.

Who is affected

  • Municipalities — reduced ability to absorb surplus animal control funds into municipal general funds; municipalities still receive a portion (60% of amounts routed to county prosecutor) distributed back for animal cruelty enforcement.
  • Counties / County prosecutors — new funding stream for enforcement; they retain 40% of municipal‑derived transfers.
  • Department of Health — State trust fund balances redirected in part to State Police and county humane enforcement.
  • Division of State Police, county humane law enforcement officers, Police Training Commission — recipients of redistributed funds.
  • Animal control, humane law enforcement, prosecutors, and municipal police — potential increase in dedicated enforcement and training funding.

Legislative status and timeline (per documents)

  • Reported by Senate Economic Growth Committee with amendments: Oct 10, 2024.
  • Passed Senate: June 11, 2025; delivered to Assembly and referred to Agriculture: June 11, 2025.
  • Office of Legislative Services fiscal estimate dated August 8, 2025.
    Note: some provided metadata dates conflicted; the timeline above follows the legislative documents included.

Related bills

  • Companion/related: A2990, A6011; prior-session S8425.

(Prepared from the bill text, committee statement, and OLS fiscal estimate included with the bill.)

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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