Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblyman GILBERT "WHIP" L. WILSON
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman McHose, Assemblymen Fiocchi and C.A.Brown
SYNOPSIS
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support farm to school and school gardens programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning voluntary contributions through gross income tax returns to support farm to school and school gardens programs, supplementing Chapter 9 of Title 54A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of the Treasury a special fund to be known as the “New Jersey Farm to School and School Garden Fund.”
b. Each taxpayer shall have the opportunity to indicate on the taxpayer’s New Jersey gross income tax return that a portion of the taxpayer’s refund or an enclosed contribution shall be deposited in the special fund.
c. Any costs incurred by the Division of Taxation for collection or administration attributable to this act may be deducted from receipts collected pursuant to this act, as determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of Taxation. The State Treasurer shall deposit net contributions collected pursuant to this section to the “New Jersey Farm to School and School Garden Fund.”
d. The Legislature shall annually appropriate all funds deposited in the “New Jersey Farm to School and School Garden Fund” established pursuant to this section to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for use in support of its Farm to School program, including the development and expansion of school gardens activities.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the “New Jersey Farm to School and School Garden Fund” and provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that will permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the fund to support farm to school and school gardens initiatives in the Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School program.
The program, developed by the Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the Department of Education, offers information and training on farm to school issues, including school garden activities, to teachers, schools and others.
Farm to school is the practice of sourcing local food for school cafeterias, so that students have access to fresh, nutritious and seasonal food, while also supporting local and regional farmers, improving childhood nutrition, and providing related opportunities for students to learn about agriculture, health, and nutrition. Curricula and activities related to school gardens help students learn firsthand about where food comes from, the science underlying farming, the nutritional value of fresh fruits and vegetables, and fosters a greater understanding of the environment and its importance to agriculture.