A4634

An Act requiring county boards of agriculture to establish a summer internship pilot program at certain farms, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Each county board of agriculture shall establish a summer internship pilot program to provide working interns to farms in the State. The pilot program shall operate between May and September of each year, for two years. Each county board of agriculture shall develop application, selection, stipend distribution, and evaluation processes consistent with the provisions of this section in order to implement the pilot program.

b. A county board of agriculture shall develop an application process by which interested persons can apply to participate in the pilot program as summer interns. In order to be eligible, a person shall:

(1) be a student at a high school, vocational school, or institution of higher education, including as a graduate student; and

(2) enter into a written agreement with the county board of agriculture and an owner of an eligible farm that specifies the terms and conditions of the internship pilot program, including the lesson plan developed pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection d. of this section.

c. The owner of a farm may apply to the appropriate county board of agriculture, in a form and manner to be determined by the board, in order to participate in the pilot program. Other than the labor of the intern, the owner of a farm shall not receive any financial compensation for participating in the pilot program. In order to participate in the pilot program, the owner of the farm shall enter into a written agreement with the county board of agriculture and the intern that specifies the terms and conditions of the internship, including the lesson plan developed pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection d. of this section.

d. A county board of agriculture shall review applications received pursuant to subsections b. and c. of this section, and assign a person approved for the summer intern pilot program with an approved farm owner. A farm shall not be assigned more than 10 interns per year. The county board of agriculture shall develop appropriate terms and conditions for the internship, which shall:

(1) include the expected duration of the internship;

(2) provide the expected schedule and working hours of the intern, which shall not exceed 40 hours per week;

(3) clearly state the hourly wage or other compensation structure for the intern, which compensation shall be paid by the county board of agriculture in a manner consistent with all applicable State and federal laws; and

(4) include a lesson plan, which enumerates the knowledge and skills that are to be transmitted by the owner of the farm, or an employee of the farm delegated by the owner, to the intern, which knowledge and skills may include, but are not limited to:

(a) planting, caring for, or harvesting agricultural crops;

(b) rearing, breeding, or slaughtering farm animals;

(d) operating or maintaining agricultural vehicles and machinery;

(e) increasing the sustainability of, or mitigating pollution from, agricultural operations; and

(f) producing, marketing, and selling agricultural products.

e. (1) The Department of Agriculture shall distribute the funds appropriated by section 2 of this act to county boards of agriculture in order to fund the internship pilot program established pursuant to this section. The funds shall be annually distributed in a non-competitive manner to county boards of agriculture in proportion to the number of interns expected to participate in the county's pilot program during the summer next following the distribution of the funds. The amount distributed to a county board of agriculture shall not exceed the expected compensation to be paid to summer interns approved for the pilot program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section in the year in which the funds are distributed, plus five percent, which additional five percent shall be used by the county to administer the pilot program.

(2) The department may audit, or cause to be audited, a county board of agriculture in order to determine compliance with the provisions of this section.

f. No later than six months after the completion of the second year of the pilot program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the Department of Agriculture shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature a report on the pilot programs established pursuant to this act. A county board of agriculture shall, upon request, provide information to the department as may be necessary for the development of the report. The report shall provide an account of all State funds distributed pursuant to this act, a summary of the pilot program implemented by each county board of agriculture, and an assessment of the success in the program in cultivating an interest in agriculture in students in the State.

2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture the amount of $2.1 million, in order to implement the provisions of section 1 of this act.

3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission by the Department of Agriculture of the report required pursuant to subsection f. of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill would require each county board of agriculture to establish a two-year summer internship pilot program to provide working interns to farms in the State.

The internships would be open to students at high schools, vocational schools, and institutions of higher education, including graduate students. Each county board of agriculture would be required to develop an application process to allow interested students and farm owners to apply to participate in the pilot program. In order to participate, a farm owner would be required to agree to terms and conditions developed by the county board of agriculture, which would include a description of the knowledge and skills to be transmitted by the farm's owner, or a designated employee, to the intern. Other than the labor of the intern, the owner of the farm would not receive any financial compensation for participating in the pilot program. Each eligible farm would be authorized to host up to 10 interns during the months of May through September.

The bill would appropriate $2.1 million from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture to fund the pilot programs established by the bill. The bill would require the Department of Agriculture to distribute the funds to county boards of agriculture in order to fund the internship pilot program established by the bill. The bill would direct the Department of Agriculture to distribute the funds in a non-competitive manner to the county boards of agriculture in proportion to the expected number of interns. Up to five percent of the funds would be authorized to be used by the county boards of agriculture for administration costs.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Agriculture to submit a report on the pilot program, within six months after its conclusion, to the Governor and the Legislature. The report would be required to provide an account of all State funds distributed pursuant to the bill, a summary of the pilot program implemented by each county board of agriculture, and an assessment of the success in the program in cultivating an interest in agriculture in students in the State.