ASSEMBLY, No. 648

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblymen IMPREVEDUTO and DORIA

An Act concerning certain motor vehicle registrations and amending R.S.39:3-30.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. R.S.39:3-30 is amended to read as follows:

    39:3-30. Upon the transfer of ownership or the destruction of any motor vehicle its registration shall become void. If the motor vehicle is sold the original owner shall remove the license plates therefrom, and, within 48 hours, notify the director of the name and address of the purchaser.

    The original owner may, by proper sworn application on a form to be furnished by the division[, register]:

    a. Receive a refund of that percentage of the registration fee proportionate to the unexpired term of the registration of a passenger automobile registered under R.S.39:3-8 or a noncommercial truck registered under section 2 of P.L.1968, c.439 (C.39:3-8.1), computed on a calendar monthly basis; provided, however, that no owner shall be entitled to a refund of less than 1/6th of the total registration fee paid by the owner for that motor vehicle or $10, whichever is greater; or

    b. Register another motor vehicle for the unexpired portion of the registration period of the original vehicle, upon payment of a fee of $4.50 if the vehicle is of a weight or other classification equal with or less than the one originally registered, and upon the payment of a fee of $4.50 and the difference between the fee originally paid and that due if the new motor vehicle is properly registerable in a higher class. Unless the original license plates have been destroyed, the owner shall be assigned the license number previously issued to him and shall receive a new registration certificate. If the original license plates have been destroyed, replacement of the plates will be made under the provisions of R.S.39:3-32.

    The surviving husband, wife, child or children of a deceased registered owner of any motor vehicle in whom title thereto shall vest by virtue of the terms of the will of such deceased owner, or otherwise, shall, upon application to the director, and upon the payment of a fee of $4.50, be entitled to have the registration of such vehicle transferred to his or her name.

    The registered owner of any motor vehicle shall, upon application to the director, and payment of a fee of $4.50, be entitled to have the vehicle registered jointly in the name of the registered owner and the spouse of said owner. The registration certificate and certificate of ownership shall be amended accordingly without the payment of any additional fee.

(cf: P.L.1978, c.96, s.1)

    2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill authorizes the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Law and Public Safety (DMV) to provide refunds of certain motor vehicle registration fees.

    Under the provisions of the bill, whenever a passenger automobile or noncommercial truck is either sold to another person or destroyed, the owner could apply to the DMV for a refund for the unexpired portion of that vehicle's registration. The proportionate amount of the refund is to be determined on a calendar month basis. The bill provides, however, that no refund is to be paid if the proportionate amount due is less than 1/6th of the annual registration fee or $10, which ever is greater. In most cases, this provision would relieve the DMV of any obligation to pay refunds on registrations having an unexpired term of one month.

    Current law does not authorize the DMV to refund registration fees.

Authorizes DMV to give refunds for unexpired portions of motor vehicle registration periods in certain cases.