State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-jersey > Title-4 > Section-4-1c > 4-1c-4

4:1C-4.  State agriculture development committee;  establishment; membership;  terms;  vacancies;  compensation;  meetings;  minutes;  staff
    a.  In order that the State's regulatory action with respect to agricultural  activities may be undertaken with a more complete understanding of the needs  and difficulties of agriculture, there is established in the Executive Branch  of the State Government a public body corporate and politic, with corporate  succession, to be known as the State Agriculture Development Committee.  For  the purpose of complying with the provisions of Article V, Section IV,  paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, the committee is allocated within  the Department of Agriculture, but, notwithstanding that allocation, the  committee shall be independent of any supervision or control by the State Board  of Agriculture, by the department or by the secretary or any officer or employee thereof, except as otherwise expressly provided in this act.  The committee shall constitute an instrumentality of the State, exercising public  and essential governmental functions, and the exercise by the committee of the  powers conferred by this or any other act shall be held to be an essential  governmental function of the State.

    b.  The committee shall consist of 11 members, five of whom shall be the Secretary of Agriculture, who shall serve as chairman, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the State Treasurer and the Dean of Cook College, Rutgers University, or their designees,  who shall serve ex officio, and six citizens of the State, to be appointed by  the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, four of whom shall be  actively engaged in farming, the majority of whom shall own a portion of the  land that they farm, and two of whom shall represent the general public.  With  respect to the members actively engaged in farming, the State Board of  Agriculture shall recommend to the Governor a list of potential candidates and  their alternates to be considered for each appointment.

    c.  Of the six members first to be appointed, two shall be appointed for terms of 2 years, two for terms of 3 years and two for terms of 4 years. Thereafter, all appointments shall be made for terms of 4 years.  Each of these members shall hold office for the term of the appointment and until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified.  A member shall be eligible for reappointment for no more than two consecutive terms.  Any vacancy in the membership occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment but for the unexpired term only.

    d.  Members of the committee shall receive no compensation but the appointed  members may, subject to the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made  available for these purposes, be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred in  attending meetings of the committee and in performance of their duties as  members thereof.

    e.  The committee shall meet at the call of the chairman as soon as may be practicable following appointment of its members and shall establish procedures  for the conduct of regular and special meetings, including procedures for the  notification of departments of State regulating the activities of commercial  agriculture, provided that all meetings are conducted in accordance with the  provisions of the  "Open Public Meetings Act,"  P.L. 1975, c. 231 (C. 10:4-6 et  seq.).

    f.  A true copy of the minutes of every meeting of the committee shall be prepared and forthwith delivered to the Governor.  No action taken at such meeting by the commission shall have force or effect until 15 days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, after such copy of the minutes shall  have been so delivered.  If, in said 15-day period, the Governor returns such  copy of the minutes with a veto of any action taken by the commission at such  meeting, such action shall be null and void and of no force and effect.

    g.  The department shall provide any personnel that may be required as staff  for the committee.

     L.1983, c. 31, s. 4, eff. Jan. 26, 1983.