Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Imposes one-year loss of driver's license on chronic runaways.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning chronic runaways and supplementing chapter 4A of Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The chief administrator shall suspend for one year a chronic runaway's right to operate a motor vehicle, including a motorized bicycle. In the case of a chronic runaway who is less than 17 years of age, the period of the suspension of driving privileges, including a suspension of the privilege of operating a motorized bicycle, shall commence on the day the license is suspended and shall run for a period of one year after the day the person reaches 17 years of age.
b. For the purposes of this section, "chronic runaway" means a child who is reported to law enforcement as a runaway more than once in any thirty-day period or three or more times in any year.
c. The chief administrator may issue guidelines to implement the provisions of this section.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to suspend for one year the driver's license of a chronic runaway. If the chronic runaway is under 17 years old, the driver's license suspension would begin when the runaway turns 17.
The bill defines a "chronic runaway" as a child who is reported to law enforcement as a runaway more than once in any thirty-day period or three or more times in any year.
The bill authorizes the chief administrator to issue guidelines on the implementation of this provision.
Law enforcement agencies incur extensive costs searching for children reported as runaways, particularly in the case of repeat runaways. It is the sponsor's intent that imposing a driver's license suspension will deter this costly behavior.