Bill > A5975

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the crime of agroterrorism. Under the bill, a person is guilty of agroterrorism if the person knowingly or recklessly imports into the State a biological agent, toxin, or organism that is designated as a high-risk agricultural pathogen capable of causing significant harm to crops, livestock, or agricultural ecosystems within the State. Agroterrorism is a crime of the second degree unless the crime: (1) involves concealment of the origin of the high-risk agricultural pathogen; (2) is committed by a person acting on behalf of, or funded by, a foreign government; or (3) results in actual economic damage exceeding $1 million, in which case it is a crime of the first degree. A crime of the second degree is punishable by imprisonment for five to 10 years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A crime of the first degree is punishable by imprisonment for 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. Under the bill, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Commissioner of Health, and the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, is required to establish a list of biological agents, toxins, and organisms that are to be designated as high-risk agricultural pathogens capable of causing significant harm to crops, livestock, or agricultural ecosystems within the State. In June 2025, two researchers that are citizens of the People's Republic of China were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. The researchers allegedly smuggled a biological pathogen, specifically a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, into the United States. Scientific research has determined this biological pathogen to be a potential agroterrorism weapon, as it poses significant threats to agriculture. The noxious fungus causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. Fusarium graminearum's toxins can also cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. According to the criminal complaint filed by the United States Attorney General, one of the researchers received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China, and has been found to have membership in the Chinese Communist Party. This legislation aims to deter future acts of agroterrorism from occurring within New Jersey and the United States by establishing agroterrorism as a crime in New Jersey.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Alex Sauickie (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee (on 11/13/2025)

Official Document