FISCAL NOTE TO

SENATE, No. 904

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JANUARY 17, 1997

      Senate Bill No. 904 of 1996 provides that all the fines collected from persons convicted of violating certain seat belt laws be deposited in the Office of Highway Traffic Safety Child Passenger Restraint System Assistance Fund, administered by the State Treasurer. The fund shall be used by the Office of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety to purchase child passenger restraint systems for distribution to organizations that have established lending programs.

      For a period of 24 months following the effective date, under certain circumstances, the bill provides immunity from civil actions for those who establish an approved lending program. The Director of the Office of Highway Traffic Safety is required to report to the Legislature within 21 months following the bill’s effective date on its impact on lending programs.

      The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) estimates it would incur a one-time cost of $14,000 in the first year following enactment of the bill to reprogram its automated criminal and traffic tracking systems to distribute revenues to the new fund created by the bill.

      The AOC states that no new revenue would be generated from this bill. Rather, current municipal, county and State revenue would be shifted to the new State fund. The AOC estimates that about 5,476 seat belt violations occur each year, generating $115,000 in annual fine revenue. Of this revenue, $43,125 would be shifted from the municipalities, $43,125 from the counties and $28,750 from the State to the Office of Highway Traffic Safety Child Passenger Restraint System Assistance Fund for the purchase and distribution of child passenger restraint systems.

      The Office of Legislative Services concurs.

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