FISCAL NOTE TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2614

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: June 19, 1997

      Assembly Bill No 2614 of 1996 would make it a disorderly persons offense for the operator of a vehicle to knowingly give or cause to be given false information to a law enforcement officer concerning the vehicle's liability insurance coverage, including a phony insurance identification card. In addition, the bill would make it a disorderly persons offense to knowingly produce, sell, offer or expose for sale a document, printed form or other writing which simulates an insurance identification card. Disorderly persons offenses are punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of six months, a maximum fine of $1,000, or both. The bill also increases the fines imposed for the offense of operating a motor vehicle without the mandatory liability insurance coverage from $300 to $500. The fine for a subsequent offense would increase from $500 to $1,000.

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) notes that while the proposed disorderly persons sanction for this bill would impose a term of incarceration for six months, disorderly persons offenses generally carry a presumption of non-incarceration. Therefore, it is likely that the passage of this bill would have minimal impact on local jail populations.

      With regard to revenue generated by this bill, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) notes that there are no data available concerning the number of individuals who would be affected by the bill's provisions. However, the increased fines should result in an undetermined amount of increased revenue for the jurisdictions within which the offenses occurred.

      The Office of Legislative Services concurs.

This fiscal note has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.