Chaparro, Reynolds-Jackson, & Danielsen Legislation Providing Incentives for Environmental Infrastructure Projects to Employ Local Residents Clears Committee

(TRENTON) – Helping to employ local residents, Assembly Democrats Annette Chaparro (D-Hudson), Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Hunterdon, Mercer), and Joe Danielsen (D-Middlesex, Somerset) sponsor legislation approved by the Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources to require the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank) to adopt rules and regulations providing incentives for entities running environmental infrastructure projects. I-Bank provides loans for the construction of environmental projects, some of which ensure the safety of drinking water, and protect ground and surface water.  

Under the current law, I-Bank requires local government units conducting environmental infrastructure projects to establish an affirmative action program.  The bill (A-5018) would further that initiative to develop local employment and require that the I-Bank provide incentives and additional priority points for entities who employ residents who live in the municipality where the infrastructure project is happening.  Priority points would be provided in the calculations when ranking the “clean water project priority list” and the “drinking water project priority list”.

Upon committee approval of the measure, Chaparro, Reynolds-Jackson, and Danielsen issued the following joint statement:

“Hiring Local residents creates quality jobs and propels career paths for individuals who live in municipalities where environmental projects are located.  The main goal of this bill is to focus on training local talent and keep jobs within our own communities. Every municipality has a goal of lowering their unemployment rate.  The incentives given to contractors from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank will help keep local residents employed and give them a skillset they can continue to use when the projects are completed.”