Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the sale or conveyance by the head or principal executive of any State department of all or part of the State's interest in any real property and the improvements thereon or the grant of an easement in or across such property shall require the approval of the State House Commission without regard to the value of the property or easement or to the means by which the property was acquired by the State, unless the sale or conveyance or grant is a disposition of public lands for recreation and conservation, farmland preservation, or any other public purpose.
N.J.S. § 52:31-1.3a