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| Assembly Speaker Jack Collins
(center) was presented with the New Jersey
Agricultural Society's highest honor, the
Gold Medallion, by Society President Pam
Mount (left) and Society Secretary-Treasurer
and NJ Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown,
Jr. |
One
of the most influential members of the state
legislature, Assembly Speaker Jack Collins has
been a friend of New Jersey agriculture for many
years. Collins is serving his eighth General
Assembly term. He has served as Assembly Speaker
since 1996 and was majority leader from 1993
to 1996. As the third highest ranking elected
official, Collins serves as the Acting Governor
when Acting Governor and Senate President DiFrancesco
is out of the state. He also sets the Assembly's
legislative agenda, selects committee chairmen
and their committee members and presides over
the Assembly's legislative sessions. An active
participant in the Society's Annual Farm Tour
for Legislators, Collins saw first-hand the crop
devastation caused by the drought of 1999 during
our tour in Somerset County. Before the tour
was over Collins announced his intention to work
with Agriculture Committee chair Jack Gibson
to sponsor legislation providing $20 million
in drought relief to New Jersey's farmers. Following
Hurricane Floyd four weeks later, the drought
relief package was incorporated into the Emergency
Disaster Relief Bill that was enacted and resulted
in the agricultural industry receiving $20 million
last spring. Many of those farming in New Jersey
today would not have recovered from 1999's devastating
losses were it not for Collins's leadership.
Collins was also an active participant in securing
the most recent amendment to the Right to Farm
Act, as well as support for farmland preservation
and open space retention. In addition to his
work for agriculture, Collins has been a key
player in the effort to reform New Jersey's School
Funding Law and spearheaded the drive to identify
and provide a stable source of funding for the
construction of school facilities throughout
the state. He has also championed legislation
for aid to persons with developmental disabilities,
senior citizen tax relief and job creation initiatives.
A former basketball star at Glassboro State College,
now Rowan University, where he scored more than
1,000 points during his four years, Collins received
both his B.A and M.A. from Rowan, and has been
on the faculty there since 1969. Somehow during
all this activity with Rowan, Collins also found
time to attend Rutgers School of Law, where he
received his law degree in 1982. Collins and
his wife Betsey have four children. In keeping
with the tradition of the Society, which, since
its founding in 1781, has recognized meritorious
service to the industry, the Board of Trustees
of the New Jersey Agricultural Society takes
great pride in awarding JACK COLLINS,
with its highest honor, THE GOLD MEDALLION.
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