Bill Text: NJ A2142 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires NJTA and SJTA to extend payment period for violations of electronic toll collection monitoring system, commonly known as E-ZPass, during COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A2142 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2142-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Requires NJTA and SJTA to extend payment period for violations of electronic toll collection monitoring system, commonly known as E-ZPass, during COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning temporary payment extensions for violations of the electronic toll collection monitoring system during the COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 8 and 13 of P.L.1997, c.59 (C.27:23-34.3 and C.27:25A-21.3) and any regulations promulgated pursuant to P.L.1997, c.59 to the contrary, if any violation of the toll collection monitoring system regulations is committed, as evidenced by a toll collection monitoring system, during the public health emergency and state of emergency declared on March 9, 2020 by the Governor, pursuant to Executive Order No. 103 and extended, where applicable, by subsequent executive orders, the owner of the vehicle shall have 90 days from the date that the advisory and payment request is sent to pay the required toll and, if applicable, the reasonable administrative fee.
The owner of a vehicle shall not be charged an additional administrative fee for the violation of the toll collection monitoring regulations during the extension of the payment period of the advisory and payment request authorized pursuant to this subsection.
b. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize: the increase of the administrative fee that is established by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or South Jersey Transportation Authority and is based upon the actual cost of processing and collecting the violation; or the establishment of any additional fees for the administration of the extension provided for pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire: upon rescission by the Governor of Executive Order No. 103 of 2020 and any subsequent executive orders extending the public health emergency; or, in the absence of a rescission by the Governor, upon the termination in any other manner of the declared state of emergency and public health emergency.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (authorities) to permit the owner of a vehicle to pay the required toll and, if applicable, reasonable administrative fee within 90 days from the date that an advisory and payment request (APR) is sent for any violation of the toll collection monitoring system, commonly known as E-ZPass, that was committed during the COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency. The bill also prohibits the owner of a vehicle from being charged any additional administrative fee for the E-ZPass violation during the extension of the payment period for the APR authorized pursuant to the bill.
Nothing in this bill is to be construed to authorize: the increase of the administrative fee that is established by the authorities: or the establishment of any additional fees for the administration of the extension provide for pursuant to the bill.
Under current law, the owner of a vehicle has 30 days from the date that an advisory and payment request is sent to pay the required toll and the reasonable administrative fee for an E-ZPass violation.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency, the authorities implemented cashless tolling to prevent face-to-face interactions and the spread of the Corona virus. It is the sponsor's intent to prevent the authorities using the pandemic to charge the $50 administrative fee on every cashless toll when New Jersey residents without an E-ZPass account have no other way of paying the toll and to prevent the accumulation of excessive administrative fees on E-ZPass violations without a reasonable amount of time to pay.
