On Thursday, Governor Murphy issued a conditional veto of S-757. The legislation sought to expand authorization of special occasion events at commercial farms and wineries on preserved farmland. The League opposed S-757 as passed by the legislature because it provided inadequate limitations on special occasion events, allowing preserved farmland to be used for non-agricultural purposes, undermining the intent of the state’s successful farmland preservation program.
The Governor’s recommendations in his conditional veto help to address some of the League’s concerns, including limiting the number and scope of special occasion events and the area on the farmland where the events can be held. The recommendations also provide clarity on municipal review of event applications.
With the conditional veto the bill is now returned to the legislature where they will either approve the Governor’s recommendations or vote to override and adopt the bill as originally passed.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.