S 612 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Authorizes local law enforcement officers to conduct certain alternative deer control methods.

S 612 amends New Jersey law to allow local law enforcement officers, upon request by a municipal governing body and after training/approval by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, to serve as "authorized agents" for implementing alternative deer control methods. It directly affects municipalities, county boards of agriculture, airport owners, and local law enforcement by expanding who can execute approved deer management plans. The key mechanism requires communities to submit detailed plans (including safety measures, landowner consent, and public notification) to the Division for review, which may then be submitted to the Fish and Game Council for final approval. The bill does not change existing deer control methods but specifically authorizes trained officers to use them, alongside traditional approaches like controlled hunting or fertility control.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Bob Smith
Bob Smith
DDemocratic
NJ
17