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Committee releases invasive-plant bill after broad testimony from conservation groups and nursery industry
Summary
A long hearing on invasive-plant regulation drew conservation groups, nurseries and the Department of Agriculture'related stakeholders; the committee accepted amendments clarifying enforcement timelines and coauthority elements and released the bill unanimously.
The committee considered legislation to regulate invasive plants and create an invasive-species council. Sponsors described the bill's goals and said a set of amendments were being added in response to stakeholder requests.
Conservation witnesses including Laura Bush of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey said she and allied environmental groups support the bill and the collaborative process with industry. Nursery, landscape and farm stakeholders (Ashley Kerr, Tom Knezick, Marjak Nursery representatives) expressed support for the bill's objectives but pushed for a prominent role for the Department of Agriculture—arguing practical nursery inspections and longstanding Department of Agriculture relationships make coauthority appropriate.
Sponsor remarks emphasized compromises and said the enforcement language would be clarified to ensure that some violations assessed by the Department of Agriculture are considered on a per-occurrence basis rather than per day. Multiple groups told the committee they were generally in favor of the bill but asked for small changes to make it workable.
Following public comment the committee moved to release the measure with committee amendments; the roll call recorded unanimous approval. Committee staff said additional drafting and final alignment of member appointments to the invasive-species council would be done before the bill advances.
