Bill Text: NJ A1549 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Makes it fourth degree crime to engage in certain tracking and location activities.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-2)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-02-23 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [A1549 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2022-A1549-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

 

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

ASSEMBLY, No. 1549

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

  ADOPTED JUNE 2, 2022

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  PAUL D. MORIARTY

District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblyman  DANIEL R. BENSON

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Assemblywoman  CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Verrelli, Assemblywoman Haider, Assemblyman Stanley, Assemblywomen Park, Piperno, Eulner, Jaffer, Reynolds-Jackson, McKnight and Mosquera

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Makes it fourth degree crime to engage in certain tracking and location activities.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 23, 2023, with amendments.

 

 

An Act concerning electronic tracking devices and tracking applications and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  As used in this act:

     "Electronic tracking device" means any device ¹designed or intended to be¹ used ¹[to track] for the sole purpose of tracking¹ the location or movement of a person that reveals its location or movement by the transmission of electronic signals.

     "Tracking application" means any computer application software installed or otherwise operational on a computer or mobile device that ¹[may be] is¹ used to ¹surreptitiously¹ track ¹and transmit to another person¹ the movement or ¹[determine]¹ the location of the computer or mobile device.

     b.    A person who, ¹[for] in order to initiate or facilitate¹ an unlawful ¹[purpose uses] act, knowingly installs or places, or causes the installation or placement of,¹ an electronic tracking device or tracking application to track or determine the location of another person ¹,¹ commits a crime of the fourth degree. 

     c.     For the purposes of this act, the following uses of an electronic tracking device or tracking application shall be considered lawful:

     (1)   by the parent or guardian of a minor child for the purpose of tracking or determining the location of the minor child;

     (2)   for the purpose of monitoring, tracking, or locating a person who, due to a physical or mental health condition, may be at risk of injury or death;

     (3)   by a person who has obtained the consent of the person to be tracked or located, in accordance with subsection e. of this section;

     (4)   by a person in order to track or locate personal property during a lawful business transaction in which the person's personal property is in the temporary possession or otherwise under the control of a third party;

     (5)   by a person collecting consumer location data as part of a lawful business practice, ¹[and with notice] so long as the use is disclosed in a terms of use policy, privacy policy, or similar document or form made available¹ to the consumer; or

     (6)   by ¹[a person acting] an employer for the purpose of tracking an employee or vehicle used by an employee while engaged in the course of employment when not prohibited by State or federal law or regulation; a failure by an employer to comply with the written notice requirement to use a tracking device in a vehicle used by an employee¹ in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of P.L.2021, c.449 (C.34:6B-22) or ¹failure to comply with¹ any other ¹requirements in order to track an employee or vehicle used by an employee pursuant to another¹ State or federal law or regulation ¹shall only be considered a violation of that law or regulation, and punishable in accordance with that law or regulation, and shall not be punishable as a crime pursuant to this section¹.

     d.    Except as otherwise provided in subsections c. and f. of this section, there shall be a permissive inference that the use of an electronic tracking device or tracking application to conduct surreptitious surveillance of another person is ¹[for] to initiate or facilitate¹ an unlawful ¹[purpose] act¹, including, but not limited to, stalking as provided in ¹[N.J.S.2C:12-10] section 1 of P.L.1992, c.209 (C.2C:12-10)¹ or harassment as provided in N.J.S.2C:33-4.

     e.     (1) For the purposes of obtaining consent to use an electronic tracking device or a tracking application in accordance with subsection c. of this section, the person to be tracked or located shall provide consent in writing, in the case of an electronic tracking device, or by opting-in to or otherwise affirmatively accepting the use of the application, in the case of a tracking application. 

     (2)   For the purposes of this act, a person's consent is presumed to be revoked if:

     (a)   the person who gave consent and the person who obtained consent are spouses, civil union partners, or domestic partners, and one person has filed a petition for divorce, dissolution of the civil union, or termination of the domestic partnership; or

     (b)   the person who gave consent or the person who obtained consent has filed an application for a temporary or final restraining order pursuant to the provisions of the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et al.).

     f.     The provisions of subsection b. of this section shall not apply to State or local government entities and equipment, leased, owned, or operated by those entities.       

 

     2.    This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment.