Bill Text: NJ A3163 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires municipalities to designate parking spaces for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [A3163 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3163-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Requires municipalities to designate parking spaces for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act requiring municipalities to designate parking spaces for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients and amending P.L.2015, c.218.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2015, c.218 (C.39:4-207.10) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. (1) A person who is a disabled veteran or a recipient of the Purple Heart is exempt from the payment of municipal parking meter fees when a motor vehicle owned by the disabled veteran or the Purple Heart recipient displays disabled veteran's or Purple Heart license plates or a placard issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to the provisions of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, unless the vehicle has been parked in one location for more than 24 hours. The exemption provided under this subsection shall apply only when the disabled veteran or recipient of the Purple Heart to whom the special license plates or placards have been issued is either the driver, or a passenger, of the vehicle.
(2) The governing body of each municipality shall designate a parking space at or near the municipality's city hall or other principal municipal building for the exclusive use of a motor vehicle owned by and transporting a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient, which vehicle displays a disabled veteran's or Purple Heart license plate or a placard issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to the provisions of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
b. The Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of subsection a. of this section, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), and shall include provisions for the issuance of disabled veteran's or Purple Heart recipient's placards.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.218, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately but shall be inoperative until the first day of the sixth month following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the governing body of each municipality to designate a parking space at or near the municipality's city hall or other principal municipal building for the exclusive use of a motor vehicle owned by and transporting a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient, which vehicle displays a disabled veteran's or Purple Heart license plate or placard issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. The bill would take effect immediately but remain inoperative until the first day of the sixth month following the date of enactment in order to allow municipalities a period of time to comply with the bill's requirements.
The Motor Vehicle Commission already issues specialized license plates to persons who qualify as disabled veterans and to active members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The Motor Vehicle Commission also issues placards to eligible disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients so that eligible persons who do not have a specialized license plate may qualify for the exemption from payment of municipal parking meter fees that was established by P.L.2015, c.218 (C.39:4-207.10).
By reserving parking spots for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients, municipalities will call attention to the significant contributions made by wounded combat veterans, and of their existence in our communities.
