Bill
A 5718
A5718 lets NJ licensees sell and sample Jersey Fresh alcoholic beverages made with at least 51% New Jersey-grown ingredients to boost local agriculture and awareness.
Note on source materials
There is a discrepancy between the bill title you supplied — “Provides a credit against unemployment fund contributions for employers who employ persons in recovery” — and the legislative document you provided, which amends R.S.33:1-10 to permit sale of “Jersey Fresh” alcoholic beverages by breweries, wineries and distilleries. The summary below covers the Jersey Fresh beverage bill text and committee statement included in the documents. If you intended the unemployment‑credit measure instead, please provide the correct text or confirm and I will summarize that version.
Status and sponsors
- Bill number: A5718
- Primary sponsor: Asm. Jodi Giglio
- Introduced: May 22, 2025
- Committee action: Reported favorably with committee amendments by the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture Committee (June 12, 2025); subsequently referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations. (Other procedural entries in the record are inconsistent; see note above.)
- Related prior‑session bill: A6521
Purpose / intent
- To expand the “Jersey Fresh” program to include alcoholic beverages made from New Jersey agricultural products and to authorize certain licensed breweries, wineries, cideries/meaderies, and craft distilleries to sell and sample those “Jersey Fresh” alcoholic beverages at retail on and off licensed premises. The sponsor’s intent is to promote NJ agriculture and raise consumer awareness of locally produced alcoholic beverages.
Key provisions
- Amends R.S.33:1-10 (classification of Class A alcoholic beverage licenses) to expressly permit holders of certain licenses to sell “Jersey Fresh” alcoholic beverages at retail and to offer samples.
- Affected license types (explicit in committee statement): limited brewery license, farm brewery license, plenary winery license, farm winery license, cidery and meadery license, and craft distillery license.
- Definition of “Jersey Fresh products” (as amended by committee): an alcoholic beverage composed of at least 51% agricultural or horticultural products grown in New Jersey.
- Sampling definition retained/clarified for breweries: “sampling” means selling at a nominal charge or gratuitous offering of an open container not exceeding four ounces of any malt alcoholic beverage (consistent with existing sampling rules).
- The bill integrates the new Jersey Fresh designation into the existing privileges of licensees (e.g., retail sale on/off premises and offering samples) without changing the license fee schedule or other enumerated license privileges in the quoted sections.
Who is affected / likely impacts
- Directly affected: licensed NJ breweries, wineries, cideries, meaderies, and craft distilleries that use NJ-grown agricultural inputs (those meeting the ≥51% composition threshold).
- Indirectly affected: New Jersey farmers and horticultural producers (potential increased demand for local fruit/grain), consumers (greater availability and awareness of locally sourced alcoholic beverages), and local tourism/food & beverage businesses.
- Regulatory agencies: the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (for implementation and enforcement within existing licensing rules) and New Jersey Department of Agriculture (for coordination on Jersey Fresh designation/standards).
- Fiscal impacts: The bill description does not alter license fees or tax rates; it primarily modifies permitted retail/sampling practices and labeling/definition for local-product designation.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Reported with committee amendments on June 12, 2025. The committee amendment modified the definition of “Jersey Fresh products” to require that the beverage be composed of at least 51% NJ‑grown agricultural/horticultural products.
- Next steps (per available record): consideration by Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations (and further legislative action as applicable).
Bottom line
A5718 authorizes certain alcoholic beverage licensees to market and sell “Jersey Fresh”‑designated drinks (those made with a majority of NJ‑grown agricultural inputs), and to offer samples consistent with existing sampling rules. The objective is to boost New Jersey agriculture by expanding market opportunities and consumer recognition for locally produced alcoholic beverages.
If you want, I can:
- Produce a one‑page fact sheet for affected licensees,
- Outline potential implementation steps for the Department of Agriculture and ABC, or
- Summarize instead the unemployment‑credit bill if you upload that text.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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