SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT, WAGERING, TOURISM & HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3888

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 15, 2021

      The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3888.

      This bill provides a supplemental appropriation of $90,000 to the Department of State for the purposes of supporting the statue of “Jersey” Joe Walcott.  The appropriation would be directly distributed to the Camden County Board of Commissioners. 

     A native of Camden County, “Jersey” Joe Walcott was an accomplished boxer whose career spanned over 20 years.  Walcott became the Heavyweight Champion of the World on July 18, 1951, becoming the oldest boxer to hold that title at the time.  His boxing career earned him a spot in the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.  After his boxing career, Walcott served as a boxing referee and was elected as the first African American Sheriff of Camden County in 1971.  From 1975 to 1984, he was the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The amendments update the fiscal year from Fiscal Year 2021 to the current Fiscal Year 2022 and provide that the appropriation is for the purposes of supporting the existing statue of “Jersey” Joe Walcott in Camden.