SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3335

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 12, 2023

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3335.

      As amended and reported, this bill requires crash reports to be transmitted electronically and requires the Department of Transportation (department) to adopt rules and regulations to require the electronic transmission of crash reports.  This bill implements a recommendation made in an audit report issued by the Office of the State Auditor to provide the department with statutory authority to implement new regulations requiring the electronic transmission of crash reports.

      The committee amended the bill to:

· require the department, rather than the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission), to administer crash reports, including preparing and supplying police departments and agencies with crash report forms and receiving such crash reports;

· provide that the Commissioner of Transportation, rather than the chief administrator of the commission, may require additional information to be included in crash reports;

· clarify that all crash reports, whether written or electronic, are to be reported electronically to the department in the electronic format prescribed by the department; and

· provide that the department, rather than the commission, is required to prescribe the electronic format for the submission of crash reports.