Bill Text: NJ A930 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Allows municipality to petition county for removal of abandoned vessel after declared state of emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee [A930 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A930-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DIANNE C. GOVE
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
Assemblyman BRIAN E. RUMPF
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Allows municipality to petition county for removal of abandoned vessel after declared state of emergency.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning abandoned vessels and amending P.L.1975, c.369.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.1975, c.369 (C.12:7C-8) is amended to read as follows:
2. The following terms whenever used or referred to in this act shall have the following meanings unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
a. "Vessel" means a boat, ship, or any other watercraft, regardless of whether it is, or was, used for recreational, commercial, or industrial purposes, or any other purpose, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water, except a boat or watercraft which is subject to the provisions of P.L.1969, c.264 (C.12:7C-1 et seq.), and includes any trailer used to transport or store it.
b. "Owner" means a person or any other legal entity, other than a lienholder, having a property interest in or title to a vessel. The term includes a person entitled to the use or possession of a vessel subject to an interest of another person, reserved or created by agreement and securing payment or performance of an obligation, but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as security.
c. "Lienholder" means any person or any other legal entity holding a security interest in or to a vessel.
d. "Security interest" means an interest which is reserved or created by an agreement which secures payment or performance of an obligation and is valid against third parties generally.
e. "Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
f. "Waters of this State" means all waters within the jurisdiction of this State, both tidal and nontidal, and the marginal sea adjacent to this State to a distance of three nautical miles from the shoreline.
g. "Removal costs" means any or all costs associated with the removal, raising, towing, transporting, cleaning, storage, or destruction of any vessel from land or water and shall include the reimbursement of any or all costs incurred by the applicant in the course of acquiring title to an abandoned vessel, including acquiring title to any trailer abandoned with the vessel.
h. "Municipal waterway" means any portion of a body of water located within a municipality or any portion of a body of water over which a municipality or harbor commission legally exercises jurisdiction.
i. "Disaster" means any natural, technological, or civil emergency that causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to result in a declared state of emergency.
j. "Declared state of emergency" means any state of emergency within this State declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
(cf: P.L.2008, c.52, s.5)
2. Section 3 of P.L.1975, c.369 (C.12:7C-9) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. It shall be unlawful for any owner to abandon any vessel to or upon public land or waters of this State, including any municipal waterway, to or upon any municipally-owned land, or to or upon any private property or the water immediately adjacent thereto without the consent of the official designated by law to have jurisdiction over such public land or waterway, or the owner or other person in charge of the private property except when an emergency exists.
b. (1) A vessel which has remained moored, grounded, docked, or otherwise attached or fastened to or upon any public land or waterway or any private property without such consent for a period of more than 30 days, or which is submerged partially or completely into the water for any period of time shall be deemed abandoned and may be impounded if an official authorized by statute or ordinance to enforce regulations related to municipal waterways or a law enforcement officer having enforcement authority has reason to believe the vessel has been abandoned.
(2) The vessel may be removed from a municipal waterway by, or at the direction of, the municipality or harbor commission and may be impounded under the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection and removed to a storage space, and its registration certificate and registration plates seized. In the event that a municipality or harbor commission is not able to remove an abandoned vessel due to the effects of a disaster, the municipality or harbor commission may request, not less than 30 days after a declared state of emergency that the county where the abandoned vessel is located remove and impound the abandoned vessel.
(3) The owner shall be responsible for the cost of the removal, transportation, storage or disposal, and any other incidental costs associated with the impounded vessel.
(4) Whenever a vessel is removed pursuant to this subsection, the official designated by law to have jurisdiction over the municipal waterway shall file an incident report with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
c. (1) An owner who violates the provisions of subsection a. of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. Each day upon which the violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
(2) The civil penalty imposed pursuant to this subsection shall be collected pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), in a summary proceeding. An official authorized by statute or ordinance to enforce regulations related to municipal waterways or a law enforcement officer having enforcement authority in that municipality may issue a summons for a violation of the provisions of this section and may serve and execute all process with respect to the enforcement of this section consistent with the Rules of Court. A penalty recovered under the provisions of this section shall be recovered by and in the name of the State by the local municipality. The penalty shall be paid into the treasury of the municipality in which the violation occurred for the general uses of the municipality.
(cf: P.L.2011, c.172, s.1)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that if a municipality or harbor commission is not able to remove an abandoned vessel due to the effects of a disaster, the municipality or harbor commission may request, not less than 30 days after declaration of a state of emergency, the county where the abandoned vessel is located to remove and impound the abandoned vessel.
