ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION No. 102

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 15, 2021

      The Assembly Agriculture Committee reports favorably Assembly Joint Resolution No. 102.

      This joint resolution establishes the 15-member “Healthy Pollinators Task Force” to:

      1)   develop a pollinator research action plan compiling the most useful research and strategies for addressing the problem of protecting and bolstering the health of pollinators, such as bees and monarch butterflies, including, but not limited to, the studies, research, and strategies generally described in the joint resolution;

      2)   develop a public education plan and program to promote public-private partnerships;

      3)   develop recommendations for implementing the pollinator action plan, public education plan, private-public partnerships program, and any beneficial strategies identified by the task force; and

      4)   submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, within one year after the task force organizes, summarizing the activities and findings of the task force, and setting forth its recommendations.

      The members of the task force would be:

      1)   the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Transportation, the State Apiarist, and the President of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, all of whom would serve ex officio;

      2)   one representative from the New Jersey Audubon Society, the New Jersey Mosquito Control Association or a county mosquito control association or commission,  and one from a recognized Statewide environmental organization, appointed by the Governor;

      3)   one representative from the New Jersey Green Industry Council and one from the New Jersey Utilities Association, appointed by the President of the Senate;

      4)   an apiary entomologist or scientist and a representative  from the Northeast Organic Farming Association, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and

      5)   three members of the general public, one each appointed by the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the General Assembly, respectively, who have an understanding of the issues affecting pollinators and their health, including, but not limited to, climate change, pesticide use, and diseases affecting pollinators.

      The task force would dissolve 180 days after submitting its report.