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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey bill redefines endangered plants to exclude invasive species and authorizes eradication
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources CommitteeSponsors: Dawn Fantasia and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
New Jersey Assembly Bill 157 narrows the legal definition of endangered plant species to exclude invasive plants, requires the Department of Environmental Protection to remove from the state's endangered list unless federally protected, and grants authority to control or eliminate invasive plants even where endangered species exist.
Changes state environmental management priorities by allowing the Department of Environmental Protection to remove invasive plants from protected status and eradicate them in areas containing endangered species.
- New Jersey previously established the Endangered Plant Species List Act under P.L.1989, c.56 to protect vulnerable native flora in the state. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Department of Environmental Protection
The department is granted new authority to control invasive species regardless of endangered species presence and is required to remove invasive plants from state endangered lists.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies a plant as an endangered species under this bill?
Can the Department of Environmental Protection remove invasive plants from the state endangered list?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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