Bill Text: NJ A3727 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages to create Gold Star Parent identification card.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-06-18 - Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading [A3727 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3727-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman VINCENT MAZZEO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblyman PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Singleton and Diegnan
SYNOPSIS
Permits county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages to create Gold Star Parent identification card.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning identification cards issued by a county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages for a Gold Star Parent and supplementing Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Sections 1 through 8 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be known and may be cited as the "County Identification Cards for Gold Star Parents Act."
2. As used in this act, P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), "Gold Star Parent" means a parent, legal guardian or other legal custodian, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption, of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who died while on active duty for the United States.
3. A county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, may establish a Gold Star Parent identification card program for the sole purpose of identifying the holder as a Gold Star Parent when such identification is required to receive discounts or other courtesies extended to military families.
4. When such a program has been authorized, the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, shall issue an identification card to any Gold Star Parent who is a resident of the county. The Gold Star Parent identification card shall display the words "Gold Star Parent," bear the true name and branch of the armed forces in which the person who lost his or her life while on active duty for the United States served, and other identifying information as certified by the applicant for the Gold Star Parent identification card. Every application for a Gold Star Parent identification card shall be signed and certified by the applicant and shall be supported by such documentary evidence as the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, may require.
5. a. Application for issuance of a Gold Star Parent identification card shall be made in a manner prescribed by the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate. In order to be deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by proof satisfactory to the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, that the applicant is a parent of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States. Proof satisfactory may include any or all of the following:
(1) a certification of an organization formed for the support of parents of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States, that the applicant is either the parent, legal guardian or other legal custodian, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption, of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States;
(2) the service member's federal DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty, or its succeeding form, which identifies the member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States; and
(3) documentation indicating the applicant's relationship to the service member.
The copy of the DD Form 1300 and the application shall be kept confidential and shall not be considered a government record under P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), except that they may be released to another government agency.
b. The county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, may consult with a representative of the Department of New Jersey of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., or any other organization formed for the support of parents of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States or the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs when establishing the documentation that may constitute satisfactory proof of an applicant's relationship to the service member. In instances where an applicant is unable to produce documentation deemed acceptable, the Adjutant General shall assist in making a determination of the applicant's eligibility for a Gold Star Parent Identification card.
6. It shall be unlawful for any person:
a. To display or cause or permit to be displayed or have in the person's possession any canceled, fictitious, fraudulently altered, or fraudulently obtained Gold Star Parent identification card;
b. To lend the Gold Star Parent identification card to any other person or knowingly permit the use thereof by another;
c. To display or represent any Gold Star Parent identification card not issued to the person as being the person's card;
d. To permit any unlawful use of a Gold Star Parent identification card issued to the person;
e. To photograph, photostat, duplicate, or in any way reproduce any Gold Star Parent identification card or facsimile thereof in such a manner that it could be mistaken for a valid Gold Star Parent identification card, or to display or have in the person's possession any such photograph, photostat, duplicate, reproduction, or facsimile; or
f. To alter any Gold Star Parent identification card in any manner.
7. The Gold Star Parent identification card issued under P.L. , c. , (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), shall not be deemed sufficient valid proof of identity for official governmental purposes when a statute, regulation, or directive of a governmental entity requires proof of identity.
8. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), is guilty of a disorderly persons offense.
9. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits county clerks or registers of deeds and mortgages, as appropriate, to create an identification card for Gold Star Parents. The bill defines Gold Star Parent to mean a parent, legal guardian or other legal custodian, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption, of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who died while on active duty for the United States.
The cards are designed to help parents of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States receive discounts or other courtesies extended to military families.
Proof of status may include any or all of the following:
(1) a certification from an organization formed for the support of parents of members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty for the United States, that the applicant is the parent, legal guardian or other legal custodian, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption, of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States;
(2) the service member's federal DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty, which identifies the member of the armed forces who died while on active duty for the United States; and
(3) documentation indicating the applicant's relationship to the service member.
The DD Form 1300 and the application will be kept confidential and will not be considered a government record under the open public records act.
