STATEMENT TO

SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 4834

with Assembly Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Assemblyman KENNEDY)

ADOPTED: JANUARY 12, 2026

      These floor amendments: 

(1) incorporate a statutory update to N.J.S.A.39:1-1;

(2) remove a provision that would have classified an operator of a low-speed electric scooter as a pedestrian entitled to coverage by the pedestrian’s personal injury coverage in the event of injury or death, in accordance with current law.  As amended, “pedestrian” is defined in section 4 of the bill as a person who is not occupying, entering into, or alighting from a vehicle propelled by other than muscular power and designed primarily for use on highways, rails, and tracks and only includes an operator of a bicycle or low-speed electric bicycle;

(3) clarify that, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, rather than notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the operator of a low-speed electric bicycle is not required to be in possession of a valid basic driver’s license or valid motorized bicycle license or permit if the operator is renting a low-speed electric bicycle from a company operating shared low-speed electric bicycles under a contract with a local government, provided that the company requires the operator to be 16 years of age or older;

(4) revise the effective date to provide that section 4 of the bill, which concerns a pedestrian’s personal injury coverage in the event of injury or death, is not to take effect until the first day of the 12th month next following the date of enactment and is to apply to every standard automobile insurance policy issued or renewed on or after that date; and

(5) make a technical change.