STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Senator JIM WHELAN
District 2 (Atlantic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Cruz-Perez
SYNOPSIS
Expands timeframe for renewal of driver's license, registration, and inspection by military personnel and immediate family members under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning motor vehicle documents of deployed military personnel and immediate family members, and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, any active duty member of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, and any person in the member's immediate family, may renew a driver's license, non-driver identification card, or motor vehicle registration certificate during the six months preceding the member's scheduled date of deployment to a location outside of New Jersey.
b. The driver's license or non-driver identification card of any active duty member of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, and any person in the member's immediate family, or the registration certificate of a motor vehicle registered to that person, shall remain valid upon demobilization or return from duty, for a period of no more than 90 days. The chief administrator shall determine the appropriate documentation a person is required to possess for the driver's license, non-driver identification card, or motor vehicle registration to be deemed valid during this period.
c. A person renewing a driver's license, non-driver identification card, or motor vehicle registration pursuant to this section shall submit proof satisfactory to the chief administrator of the member's deployment to a location outside of New Jersey.
d. As used in this act, "immediate family" means a spouse, domestic partner, partner in a civil union, child, stepchild, or other person under the legal guardianship of the active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States.
2. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, a passenger automobile registered in accordance with R.S.39:3-4 or R.S.39:3-27, owned by an active duty member of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and any person in the member's immediate family, may be inspected during the six months preceding the member's scheduled date of deployment to a location outside of New Jersey.
b. Prior to deployment, any certificate of approval or rejection sticker issued upon inspection shall remain valid for 90 days following the owner's demobilization or return from duty. The chief administrator shall determine the appropriate documentation a person is required to possess for the inspection certificate of approval or rejection sticker to be deemed valid during this period.
c. After demobilization or return from duty, an active duty member of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, and any person in the member's immediate family, shall within 90 days have a motor vehicle with an expired certificate of approval or rejection sticker inspected. Any person who is issued a rejection sticker as a result of this inspection shall make any adjustment, correction, or repair to the vehicle within 90 days. The chief administrator shall determine the appropriate documentation a person is required to possess for the rejection sticker to be deemed valid during this period.
d. As used in this act, "immediate family" means the same as the term is defined in section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill allows a driver's license, non-driver identification card, and motor vehicle registration to be renewed, and a vehicle to be inspected, during the six months preceding the scheduled date of deployment of an active duty member of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, and any person in the member's immediate family.
The bill also allows the license, identification card, and vehicle registration to remain valid for 90 days after returning from duty. Additionally, after demobilization or return from duty, a person would have 90 days to have a vehicle with an expired certificate of approval or rejection sticker inspected, and an additional period of 90 days to make any adjustment, correction, or repair to the vehicle that did not successfully pass inspection.
Currently, the MVC provides certain active duty military personnel with an automatic driver's license extension while deployed, which is valid for up to 90 days after demobilization. However, this extension is only granted to members active in certain specified military operations and is not available to any spouse or other immediate family members. This bill would allow any active duty member of the Armed Forces and the member's immediate family to be eligible for an extension to renew these motor vehicle documents and would submit proof of the member's deployment, as determined by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). Currently, MVC policy does not provide for a reduced driver's license fee at the time of renewal; the provisions of this bill would continue this policy.
The bill only applies to members deployed outside of New Jersey and their "immediate family," defined to mean a spouse, domestic partner, partner in a civil union, child, stepchild, or other person under the legal guardianship of the active duty member.