LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO


SENATE, No. 1739


STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: FEBRUARY 13, 1997

 

 

      Senate Bill No. 1739 of 1996 would make it a disorderly persons offense to knowingly possess an insurance identification card that is false, forged, altered or counterfeited with the intent to use it unlawfully or to exhibit one of these cards to a police officer or judge. The bill would also make it a disorderly persons offense to produce, sell, offer or expose for sale a document, printed form or other writing which simulates an insurance identification card. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, a term of imprisonment of up to six months, or both. In addition, a person convicted of an offense involving a phony driver's license, certificate of registration or insurance identification card would be required to perform 30 days community service and assessed two motor vehicle points. 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 OLS 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.

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