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S 3446

Relates to creating a contraband and drug information hotline

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pam Helming

Creates a nine-member Farmland Assessment Review Commission in NJ to regularly evaluate the program and propose changes to rules, fees, and potential income-based benefits.

REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
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Bill Summary · S 3446

Note on discrepancy
- The bill number (S 3446) and the committee report text provided concern establishing a Farmland Assessment Review Commission in New Jersey (farmland assessment reform). The short title you supplied (“creating a contraband and drug information hotline”) does not match the bill text. This summary follows the bill text and committee report (farmland assessment).

Summary — S 3446 (Introduced June 17, 2024; committee report 12/12/2024)

Main purpose

Create a Farmland Assessment Review Commission in the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to regularly evaluate the State’s Farmland Assessment Program and to recommend and facilitate substantive updates to ensure consistent, accurate, equitable, and uniform application of program rules statewide.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a nine-member Farmland Assessment Review Commission:
    • Ex officio members: Secretary of Agriculture and Director of the Division of Taxation.
    • Seven appointed residents: two departmental representatives, four farmland owners/operators or their representatives from diverse regions, and one local tax assessor or local official. Appointments are made by the Secretary of Agriculture, Director of the Division of Taxation, Governor, Senate President, Assembly Speaker, Senate Minority Leader, and Assembly Minority Leader (one each).
  • Commission duties (selected highlights):
    • Inventory and analyze current farmland-assessed properties (noting that over 37,000 properties currently participate), by county/municipality, acreage, growth trends, and projected participation.
    • Evaluate feasibility and design of limits on the number of participating properties or total benefits allocated annually.
    • Assess need for a dedicated funding source to support annual local on-site inspections of farmland-assessed sites; analyze and recommend possible mandatory inspection fees, administration options (State vs. local), and fee structures (by size, income, municipality).
    • Review whether continuation of tax benefits should be conditioned on submission of farm product sales data and whether benefit levels should reflect recent farm income.
    • Consider means-tested eligibility or income-bracketed benefit levels and recommend how to implement such tiers.
    • Review existing standards/guidelines, conflicts with other laws/programs, and recommend statutory or regulatory changes.
  • Reporting and follow-up:
    • Within 1 year of organizing, and annually thereafter, the commission must report to the Governor, State Board of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Division of Taxation, and the Legislature detailing findings and recommendations (including suggested legislation).
    • The Senate Economic Growth Committee and the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee must meet to review the report and recommend legislation (their recommendations may differ from the commission’s).
    • Where the commission recommends regular guideline reviews, the State Agriculture Development Committee and Department of Agriculture must cooperatively develop and implement rules/procedures to enable timely updates and to effectuate any enacted legislation.
  • Committee amendments clarified committee meeting/legislative recommendation process, cooperative rulemaking duties, and made technical edits (including a change to which forestry organization is consulted).

Who is affected

  • Farmland owners/operators and applicants for farmland assessment.
  • Local tax assessors and municipal governments (inspection burdens, tax base impacts).
  • State agencies: Department of Agriculture, State Board of Agriculture, Division of Taxation, State Agriculture Development Committee.
  • Potential fiscal impact on property tax revenues and State/local administrative costs if inspections, fees, or benefit reallocation are enacted.

Procedural/status notes

  • Introduced: 6/17/2024.
  • Reported out of Senate Economic Growth Committee with amendments: 12/12/2024.
  • Later referrals: listed as referred to Crime Victims, Crime and Correction (1/27/2025) and recommitted to Senate Budget & Appropriations (6/19/2025) — these further referrals may reflect procedural routing.
  • Related/companion: Assembly A4875 / A4500; several prior-session related bills cited.

Potential impact

If enacted, the commission’s recommendations could lead to stricter eligibility rules, new inspection/funding mechanisms (including fees), income-based benefit adjustments, and legislative/regulatory changes altering the distribution and total amount of farmland assessment property tax benefits across the State.

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

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