Bill
S 3711
Permanently allocates $500,000 annually from the Clean Communities Fund to DEP for statewide outreach/education on the single-use plastics program.
Note: the bill information at the top of your request (a teacher tax deduction) appears to be unrelated to the legislative documents you supplied. The documents and legislative history attached to S-3711 concern the Clean Communities Program Fund and funding for public outreach on the State’s single‑use plastics reduction program. The summary below describes the S-3711 that matches the provided documents (enacted P.L.2025, c.106).
Summary — S-3711 (P.L.2025, c.106)
Purpose
- Makes permanent an existing annual $500,000 allocation from the Clean Communities Program Fund to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support statewide public outreach and education tied to the State’s single‑use plastics reduction program.
Key provisions and changes
- Amends section 5 of P.L.2002, c.128 (C.13:1E-217) to require that, prior to distribution of other Clean Communities Fund monies, $500,000 of the fund’s estimated annual balance “shall be annually appropriated to the department and made available on July 1 of each year” for the statewide public information and education program developed under P.L.2020, c.117 (the single‑use plastics law).
- Clarifies (by committee amendment) that the outreach funding includes the redistribution of reusable bags (e.g., collecting and repurposing reusable bags for food banks and similar organizations), rather than the original phrasing that implied distribution of bags.
- Leaves in place other Clean Communities Fund allocations: $375,000 annually for general anti‑litter public education (up to $75,000 of which may be used for statewide media advertising) and the statutory percentage distributions to municipalities and counties.
Who is affected
- Department of Environmental Protection: receives/oversees the outreach appropriation and contracts for program implementation.
- The organization under contract with DEP (the Clean Communities Program contractor): will administer public outreach and bag‑redistribution activities and report to the Governor and Legislature.
- Municipalities and counties: funding flows in the same statutory proportions; outreach supports implementation of the single‑use plastics law at the local level.
- Nonprofits and food assistance organizations: may receive redistributed reusable bags collected under the program.
- Funding source: the Clean Communities Program Fund (nonlapsing revolving fund sourced from user fees on manufacturers/retailers of litter‑generating products, penalties, and voluntary donations).
Procedural/timeline notes
- Effective immediately upon enactment.
- Annual appropriation is to be made available on July 1 each year.
- Legislative history: Introduced Oct 7, 2024; reported with amendments by Senate committees (Feb 10, 2025); passed the Senate 39–0 (June 30, 2025); passed the Assembly 72–6–2 (June 30, 2025); approved and enacted as P.L.2025, c.106 (July 22, 2025).
- Fiscal note: the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee did not certify the bill as requiring a fiscal note.
Related/companion bills
- Assembly companion: A-5153 (1R)
- Prior-session and related measures listed in the bill file (e.g., S-4615, S-727, A-1926).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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