Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DIANNE C. GOVE
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
Assemblyman CHRIS A. BROWN
District 2 (Atlantic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the promotion of historic sites.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"FM Radio Transmitter" or "transmitter" means a self-contained, low-power, announcement broadcasting apparatus, capable of transmitting an FM radio signal through the release of electromagnetic waves, and having an approximate output of less than one watt, and which may be used to broadcast a short, pre-recorded message over an open FM frequency for a distance of several hundred feet from a parcel of real property to an adjacent street or highway.
"Historic site" means a building, facility, property, site, structure, or area that is included, is approved for inclusion, or meets the criteria for inclusion, in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.268 (C.13:1B-15.128), and which is owned or operated by the State, by a local government unit, or by a qualifying tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
"Participant historic site" or "participant site" means a historic site that has been selected for inclusion in the Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program pursuant to section 2 of this act.
"Pilot program" means the Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program established by the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to section 2 of this act.
2. a. The Department of Environmental Protection shall establish and implement a Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program, which shall be designed to attract motorists and other nearby passers-by to participant historic sites in the State through the broadcast of pre-recorded promotional messages from FM radio transmitters strategically placed at each of those participant sites. The pilot program shall operate for a period of one year.
b. The department, in consultation with the Historic Sites Council established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1967, c.124 (C.13:1B-15.108), shall identify a representative collection of historic sites in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State for inclusion in the pilot program. The department shall also:
(1) purchase, rent, or otherwise acquire FM radio transmitters for use in the pilot program;
(2) establish and implement a procedure for the inspection and maintenance of FM radio transmitters used in the pilot program;
(3) create a map showing the location of each participant historic site, and make the map available for public viewing through publication on the department's Internet website, and through any other appropriate and available means;
(4) with the permission of the site owner or operator, place an FM radio transmitter at each participant historic site, and broadcast from the transmitter, a short promotional message about the participant site at the transmitter's location;
(5) with the permission of the site owner or operator, establish and post promotional signage at each participant historic site, which signage shall identify the name of the pilot program, the name of the participant site, as appropriate, and the FM frequency on which the transmitter's pre-recorded message will be broadcast; and
(6) take any other action, including, but not limited to, the adoption of rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to implement the pilot program.
c. No later than 18 months after the Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program is established and becomes effective, the department 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 written report containing information on the implementation of the pilot program, including an accounting of the costs of implementation, and a recommendation on the feasibility and desirability of implementing the pilot program on a permanent and Statewide basis.
Upon submission of the report to the Governor and Legislature pursuant to this subsection, the pilot program shall expire.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall be inoperable until the 120th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would provide for the establishment of a Historic Sites Broadcast Pilot Program ("pilot program") in the State. The pilot program would be designed to attract motorists and other nearby passers-by to certain historic sites in the State through the broadcast of pre-recorded promotional messages from low-power FM radio transmitters that have been strategically placed at those historic sites. A "historic site" would be defined by the bill as "a building, facility, property, site, structure, or area that is included, is approved for inclusion, or meets the criteria for inclusion, in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, and which is owned or operated by the State, by a local government unit, or by a qualifying tax-exempt nonprofit organization."
Pursuant to the bill's provisions, the pilot program would operate for a period of one year and would be implemented by the Department of Environmental Protection. In particular, the bill would require the department, in consultation with the Historic Sites Council, to select a representative collection of historic sites (identified by the bill as "participant historic sites") in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State for inclusion in the pilot program. The department would also be required to:
(1) purchase, rent, or otherwise acquire FM radio transmitters for use in the pilot program;
(2) establish and implement a procedure for the inspection and maintenance of FM radio transmitters used in the pilot program;
(3) create a map showing the location of each participant historic site, and make the map available for public viewing through publication on the department's Internet website, and through any other means;
(4) with the permission of the site owner or operator, place an FM radio transmitter at each participant historic site, and broadcast from the transmitter, a short promotional message about the participant historic site at the transmitter's location; and
(5) with the permission of the site owner or operator, establish and post promotional signage at each participant historic site, identifying the name of the pilot program, the name of the participant site, as appropriate, and the FM frequency on which the transmitter's pre-recorded message will be broadcast.
The department would further be authorized to take any other action, including, but not limited to, the adoption of rules and regulations, as is necessary to implement the pilot program.
No later than 18 months after the pilot program becomes effective, the department would be required to report to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the implementation of the pilot program and the potential for the program's implementation on a permanent and State-wide basis. Upon the filing of the report with the Governor and Legislature, the pilot program would expire.