SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1000

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1000.

      As amended and reported, this bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to add a designation on a motor vehicle’s registration information indicating the registrant is deaf or hard of hearing if the person applies for the designation.  The designation would only appear when a law enforcement officer accesses the motor vehicle's license plate information through the commission’s online interface with law enforcement agencies and is only to be used to alert the law enforcement officer that the person is deaf or hard of hearing.

     The designation would be added to the applicant’s motor vehicle registration information provided the applicant has a hearing loss as demonstrated by the pure tone average of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hertz, of 41 dB or greater, in the better ear, aided or unaided.  As part of the application process, an otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) or an audiologist clinically certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or licensed by the State of New Jersey is required to verify the applicant’s hearing ability.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1)  update the bill’s title and synopsis to replace the term “deaf” with “hard of hearing”;

      (2)  provide that an applicant is required to have hearing loss as demonstrated by the pure tone average of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hertz, of 41 dB or greater, in the better ear, aided or unaided rather than a hearing loss of a pure tone average of 41 dB or greater; and

      (3)  provide that an ENT or audiologist licensed by the State of New Jersey is able to verify an applicant’s hearing ability.