SENATE, No. 354

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senators CODEY and ADLER

An Act concerning tampering with public records and amending N.J.S.2C:28-7.

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

    1. N.J.S. 2C:28-7 is amended to read as follows:

    2C:28-7. Tampering with public records or information.

    a. Offense defined. A person commits an offense if he:

    (1) Knowingly makes a false entry in, or false alteration of, any record, document or thing belonging to, or received or kept by, the government for information or record, or required by law to be kept by others for information of the government;

    (2) Makes, presents, offers for filing, or uses any record, document or thing knowing it to be false, and with purpose that it be taken as a genuine part of information or records referred to in paragraph (1); or

    (3) Purposely and unlawfully destroys, conceals, removes, mutilates, or otherwise impairs the verity or availability of any such record, document or thing.

    b. Grading. An offense under this section is a disorderly persons offense unless the actor's purpose is to defraud or injure anyone or the actor is a public servant, in which case the offense is a crime of the third degree.

(cf: P.L.1978, c.95, s.2C:28-7)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides that a public servant who knowingly makes a false entry or false alteration on any document required by law to be kept by the government or by others for the government or makes, presents or uses any record knowing that those records are false with the purpose that those records be taken as genuine would be guilty of a crime of the third degree. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $7,500 or both.

Upgrades tampering with public records under certain circumstances.