SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3330

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 21, 2021

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3330.

      As reported, this bill extends the timeframe for receiving certain documents issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, which include registration certificates for motor vehicles inherited from a decedent, registration certificates for recently purchased motor vehicles, and documents that are required to be renewed in-person at a commission agency. 

     Under the bill, if, during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, a person is required to schedule an appointment to register an inherited motor vehicle, the person is authorized to operate the motor vehicle until the date of the appointment without obtaining a new motor vehicle registration, instead of for the maximum 30 day period after the decedent’s death as required under current law.  For this exception to apply, however, the person is required to schedule the appointment within 30 days of the death of the decedent.

     If, during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, the purchaser of a motor vehicle is required to schedule an appointment with the commission to submit evidence of the purchase, the purchaser is now permitted to submit this evidence at the date of the appointment, instead of within 10 working days after the purchase as required under current law.  For this exception to apply, however, the purchaser is required to schedule the appointment within 10 working days after the purchase.

     Finally, if, during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, a customer is required to schedule an appointment to renew a document, the expiration date of the document is to be automatically extended until the date of the appointment.  The commission is required to issue documentation to the customer that extends the expiration date of the document as provided in the bill.  This provision of the bill is to apply to all documents that are required to be renewed in-person and by appointment-only at a commission agency, and only applies if a customer schedules an appointment to renew a document before the date that the document expires.