A3683 2R

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblywoman PATRICIA EGAN JONES

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.

District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)

Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE

District 19 (Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblymen Barclay, Mazzeo, Armato, Assemblywoman Downey, Assemblymen Peters, Benson, Assemblywoman Pinkin, Assemblymen A.M.Bucco, Thomson, Holley, Chiaravalloti, Johnson, Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, Assemblyman McKeon, Assemblywomen Mosquera, Jimenez, Senators Pennacchio, Gopal, Singleton, Addiego and Beach

SYNOPSIS

Authorizes parking privileges for certain healthcare workers who render care at patients’ home residences.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As reported by the Senate Transportation Committee on June 11, 2018, with amendments.

An Act concerning parking 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. As used in this act:

“Health or personal care services” means nursing and other home health care services rendered at a patient’s place of residence.

“Home care service agency” means a home health care agency licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 ¹[(C.26:2H-1 et seq.)] (C.26:2H-1 et al.)¹, a health care service firm registered pursuant to ¹[N.J.A.C.13:45B-14.1] ²[N.J.A.C.14:45B-13.1¹] N.J.A.C.13:45B-13.1² et seq., or a ¹[Medicare-certified hospice program] hospice care program licensed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1997, c.78 (C.26:2H-80)¹.

“Home care service employee” means a nurse, nurse aide, homemaker-home health aide, ¹[or]¹ personal care assistant ¹, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, or social worker¹ licensed or certified pursuant to ¹Title 26 or¹ Title 45 of the Revised Statutes or a hospice care worker ¹employed by a hospice care program¹ licensed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1997, c.78 (C.26:2H-80) who provides at home health or personal care services.

b. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue upon application parking placards to home care service agencies indicating that a motor vehicle is being operated by a home care service employee. The placards shall be distributed by the home care service agencies to their home care service employees who render health or personal care services. A home care service agency applying for the placards shall submit to the commission a copy of the agency’s license or other credentials issued by the Department of Health or Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The commission shall take action within 30 days of receiving the application.

c. The placard shall be displayed on a motor vehicle operated by a home care service employee when rendering health or personal care services and while traveling to render health or personal care services. The placard shall entitle the ¹home care service¹ employee:

(1) to park the motor vehicle in on-street areas that are generally reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots;

(2) to park overnight in on-street areas that are generally reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots when overnight parking is prohibited;

(3) to travel on roads which are designated by a municipality as being reserved for municipal residents during certain times when traffic volume is high; and

(4) to park overtime at metered parking when rendering health or personal care services.

d. A home care service agency shall be entitled to receive a parking placard for each home care service employee employed by the agency. The parking placards shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed indefinitely provided that the home care service agency continues to provide health or personal care services. The commission may impose on each home care service agency a one-time registration fee of ¹not more than¹ $50 ¹[or less]¹ for each parking placard issued. A home care service agency shall not be required to pay a fee when renewing the placards.

e. A parking placard shall display a unique identifying number that shall be recorded by the commission and maintained in a central registry. A home care service employee who receives a placard shall submit to the home care service agency a copy of the employee’s driver’s license. The home care service agency shall use the identifying numbers and employee driver’s license numbers to maintain a record of placards assigned to the agency’s home care service employees which shall be made available to the commission for inspection upon request.

f. A home care service employee shall return the placard to the home care service agency upon termination of employment as a home care service employee. A home care service agency shall report to the commission if an employee fails to return the placard upon termination of employment. A home care service employee who fails to return the placard within 30 days of termination of employment shall be ²[fined $100] subject to a fine of $100 to be imposed² by the commission.

g. A person who uses a placard to receive parking privileges established pursuant to this section other than when rendering health or personal care services at a patient’s place of residence shall be subject to a ²[$100]² fine ²of $250 for the first offense and a fine of $250 and up to 90 days of community service, on such terms and in such a form as the court shall deem appropriate, for each subsequent offense².

h. The chief administrator shall notify the Attorney General, who shall, in turn, notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the placard established pursuant to this section.

i. The chief administrator may establish regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of ²[this act] P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)².

2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the ²[eighth] 19th² month after enactment, except the chief administrator may take anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.