SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 761

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 7, 2022

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 761, with committee amendments.

      As amended and reported, this bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to allow the holder of a driver’s license or non-driver identification card to indicate that the person has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder, upon request of the person or the parent, guardian, or caregiver of the person, and upon submission of any required documentation.  The chief administrator is to indicate the diagnosis by notating the information on the person’s driver’s license or non-driver identification card under the column designated for restrictions.

      The bill also requires the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Superintendent of State Police and at least one organization that advocates on behalf of persons diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder, to provide written guidance to assist law enforcement officers in effectively communicating with a person diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder.  The commissioner is required to distribute a copy of the written guidance to each police department in the State.

      The committee amended the bill to provide that: (1) a parent, guardian, or caregiver of a person diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or a communication disorder may request that a notation be made on a driver’s license or identification card indicating the autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder diagnosis; and (2) the bill is to take effect on the first day of the nineteenth month after enactment rather than on the first day of the thirteenth month after enactment.

      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.