M E M O R A N D U M

TO:                      Members of the New Jersey General Assembly 

FROM:               Hilary Chebra, Manager, Government Affairs, CCSNJ

RE:                      Support of:

• A-1706 (Speight)
• A-4037 (Freiman/Mukherji/Dancer)
• ACR-142 (Wimberly/Reynolds-Jackson)

The Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey (CCSNJ) would like to voice our support for the following legislation being discussed today:

• A-1706 (Speight) - Establishes pilot program in certain municipalities to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach regarding VCCO.
• A-4037 (Freiman/Mukherji/Dancer) - Extends authorization of special occasion events at wineries on preserved farmland; implements reporting requirement.
• ACR-142 (Wimberly/Reynolds-Jackson) - Reconstitutes the "Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity.".

The CCSNJ is proud to support A-1706 (Speight) which requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to establish a three-year pilot program to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach in the community regarding the availability of compensation for crime victims provided by the Victims of Crime Compensation Office. This bill will provide non-profits that are continue to recover from the pandemic with the resources needed to serve their communities.

Additionally, A-4037 (Freiman/Mukherji/Dancer) would reinstate the pilot program authorizing special occasion events at wineries on preserved farmland for two. The pandemic increased the demand for outdoor venues for special occasions and wineries on preserved land were able to host these events, bringing new economic activity to the region. This bill will allow struggling wineries to continue recover and take advantage of the pilot program.

Finally, ACR-142 (Wimberly/Reynolds-Jackson) which reconstitutes the "Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity." The reforming of this Joint Committee and the subsequent work it will perform reflect one of the CCSNJ’s core values to foster an inclusive community that embraces the diversity of the companies, organizations and individuals we serve. 

Thank you for the ability to share our support on the above measures.