Bill Text: NJ A3347 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Criminalizes operation of school bus with suspended driver's license.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-10-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee [A3347 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A3347-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DONNA M. SIMON
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Criminalizes operation of school bus with suspended drivers license.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school bus safety and supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Any person who operates a school bus while transporting one or more students, knowing that the person's driving privileges have been suspended, shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree and shall be imprisoned for not less than 180 days and shall have their commercial driver's privileges suspended for life.
2. Any person who operates a school bus while transporting one or more students, knowing that the person's driving privileges have been suspended when involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to another, shall be guilty of a crime of the third degree and shall be imprisoned for not less than 12 months and shall have their commercial driver's license privileges suspended for life.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the crime of operating a school bus with a suspended driver's license.
Under the bill, a person is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree if that person operates a school bus knowing that his or her license is suspended and operates a school bus transporting one or more students. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
In addition, the bill establishes a crime of the third degree if the school bus operator is involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment for three to five years, a fine up to $15,000, or both.
Currently, the Motor Vehicle Commission forwards suspension information to the Commissioner of Education. This bill would provide a greater penalty for the driver that knowingly places children at risk by establishing a criminal penalty for violators and permanently suspending their school bus driving privileges for life.
A recent rash of school bus accidents have occurred across the country, and most recently in New Jersey where a driver who had a suspended license was involved in accidents where 37 students were on board.
