New Jersey-2018-A4949-Introduced

An Act designating a portion of State Highway Route 55 in the City of Millville as the "Mike Trout Interchange."

Whereas, Michael Nelson Trout, commonly known as Mike Trout, was born on August 7, 1991, in the City of Vineland, New Jersey and was raised in the City of Millville, New Jersey; and

Whereas, Nicknamed the "Millville Meteor," Trout graduated from Millville Senior High School in 2009, where he was a member of the football, basketball, and baseball teams; and

Whereas, At Millville Senior High School, Trout excelled in baseball earning the attention of both college and major league baseball scouts by pitching a no-hitter in his junior year and setting a New Jersey high school record with 18 home runs in his senior year; and

Whereas, After turning down a scholarship to East Carolina University to pursue a career in Major League Baseball, Trout was drafted in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft as the 25th overall pick by the Los Angeles Angels; and

Whereas, Prior to his major league debut, Trout played for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and the Arkansas Travelers, ultimately ending with a minor league batting average of .342 and an on-base percentage of .425 with 108 stolen bases; and

Whereas, In 2012, Trout was called up to play for the Los Angeles Angels and had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, winning the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year Award and the 2012 Baseball Writers Association of America Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award while finishing second in the voting for the Most Valuable Player of the Year Award; and

Whereas, Trout's rookie season was compared to the rookie seasons of some of the greatest baseball players of all time, including Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, and Ty Cobb, as he ranked first in runs scored with 129 runs scored, second in batting average with an average of .326, third in slugging percentage with a percentage of .564, and first in wins above replacement with 10.8; and

Whereas, In addition to his offensive prowess, Trout has also been praised for his defensive abilities in centerfield, which is largely considered one of the most important defensive positions in baseball; and

Whereas, After only seven seasons in Major League Baseball, Trout's accomplishments include collecting 1,187 hits, earning a .307 career batting average, finishing in the top two in voting for the Most Valuable Player of the Year Award in five consecutive seasons including winning the 2014 Most Valuable Player of the Year Award and the 2016 Most Valuable Player of the Year Award, making seven consecutive All-Star Game appearances including winning the 2014 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award and the 2015 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, and winning five consecutive Louisville Silver Slugger Awards; and

Whereas, Trout's accomplishments are not only limited to the baseball diamond as he has inspired generations of fans of the sport including in his hometown, the City of Millville, where the high school baseball team bestows Trout's high school jersey number upon the captain of the team and the high school baseball field has been named in his honor, and in the City of Los Angeles, where he has become an ambassador of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and an active participant in the Angels Baseball Foundation's monthly visits to the Children's Hospital of Orange County; and

Whereas, Mike Trout's career and life have been marked by excellence on and off the field and as a result have made the citizens of this State proud of his accomplishments, thus, it is fitting and proper for the Legislature of the State of the New Jersey to honor the outstanding career of Mike Trout by designating a portion of State Highway Route No. 55 in the City of Millville in Cumberland County as the "Mike Trout Interchange"; now, therefore,

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

1. The Commissioner of Transportation shall designate the portion of State Highway Route 55, extending from milepost 27.65 to milepost 28.00, in the City of Millville as the "Mike Trout Interchange" and erect appropriate signs bearing this designation and dedication.

2. State or other public funds shall not be used for producing, purchasing, or erecting signs bearing the designation established pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Commissioner of Transportation is authorized to receive gifts, grants, or other financial assistance from private sources for the purpose of funding or reimbursing the Department of Transportation for the costs associated with producing, purchasing, and erecting signs bearing the designation established pursuant to section 1 of this act and entering into agreements related thereto, with private sources, including but not limited to non-governmental non-profit, educational, or charitable entities or institutions. Work shall not proceed and funding shall not be accepted by the Department of Transportation until an agreement has been reached with a responsible party for paying the costs associated with producing, purchasing, erecting, and maintaining the signs.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Commissioner of Transportation to designate the interchange on State Highway Route 55 in the City of Millville that connects State Highway Route 55 with State Highway Route 47 as the "Mike Trout Interchange." The bill provides that State or other public funds are not to be used for producing, purchasing, or erecting signs bearing the designation for the "Mike Trout Interchange." The Commissioner of Transportation is authorized to receive financial assistance from private sources.