Bill Text: NJ A5062 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Dedicates certain winery licensing fees for winery industry grant projects.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee [A5062 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A5062-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Dedicates certain winery licensing fees for winery industry grant projects.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning winery licensing fees and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There shall be deposited in the New Jersey Wine Promotion Account, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1985, c.233 (C.4:10-76), the amount collected from all fees established in subsections 2a. through 2e. of R.S.33:1-10 for the first five years following the effective date of this act. The monies shall be appropriated annually for a period of five years to the Department of Agriculture for deposit in the account to be used by the New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council to award grants for wine industry projects that address research, development, and promotion of the New Jersey wine industry.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that annual licensing fees for farm and plenary wineries, wine blending licensees, instructional winemaking facilities, and out-of-State wineries would be dedicated for a period of five years to the New Jersey Wine Promotion account, established in current law.
Under the bill, the monies deposited in the account would be appropriated to the Department of Agriculture for use by the New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council to award grants for wine industry projects that address research, development, and promotion of the New Jersey wine industry. In fiscal year 2024, the total revenue collected from winery fees by the State was nearly $680,000. It is the sponsor's intent that the bill's temporary reallocation of this revenue to funding winery marketing will grow the industry in New Jersey, allowing the State to collect more revenue in the future from increased sales of winery products.
