Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILLIAM B. SAMPSON, IV
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Fantasia and Assemblyman Scharfenberger
SYNOPSIS
Requires MVC to place designation on motor vehicle’s registration information indicating registrant is deaf or hard of hearing.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning a designation on motor vehicle registration information indicating the registrant is deaf or hard of hearing and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Upon application by any person with 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, verified by an otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) or an audiologist clinically certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or licensed by the State of New Jersey, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall add a designation to the applicant’s motor vehicle registration information bearing the international symbol for deafness or a numerical code designating deafness. The deafness designation shall 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 shall only be used to alert the law enforcement officer that the person is deaf or hard of hearing.
2. This act shall take effect on the 180th day after the date of enactment and shall apply to motor vehicle registrations issued or renewed on or after this date.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to place a designation on a motor vehicle’s registration information indicating the registrant is deaf or hard of hearing.
Specifically, the bill requires the Chief Administrator of the MVC, upon application by any person with hearing loss of a certain magnitude, as outlined in the bill, to add a designation to the applicant’s motor vehicle registration information bearing the international symbol for deafness or a numerical code designating deafness. As part of the application process, an otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) or an audiologist clinically certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is required to verify the applicant’s hearing ability.
Under the bill, the designation to the applicant’s motor vehicle registration is only to 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.