SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 467

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 20, 2022

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 467.

     This bill provides that a person who has chosen the "verbal threshold," or limitation on lawsuit option, under a private passenger automobile insurance policy may nevertheless sue a tortfeasor for noneconomic damages when bodily injury is sustained in an accident if the tortfeasor is convicted of, or pleads guilty to, drunk driving, refusing to take a breathalyzer test, or reckless driving in relation to that accident, even if the verbal threshold requirements have not been met with respect to that injury.

This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2022-2023 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.