Bill Text: NJ SCR34 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends State Constitution to dedicate portion of revenue from motor vehicle fees and surcharges to transit system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Transportation Committee [SCR34 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-SCR34-Introduced.html

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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 34

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  ROBERT W. SINGER

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Amends State Constitution to dedicate portion of revenue from motor vehicle fees and surcharges to transit system.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Article VIII, Section II of the New Jersey Constitution by adding a new paragraph.

 

     Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

 

     1.    The following proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey is agreed to:

 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

 

     Amend Article VIII, Section II by adding a new paragraph 10 to read as follows:

     10.  For each fiscal year commencing after the effective date of this amendment, the Legislature shall appropriate to the operations of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, or to any other public corporation established by the Legislature for the purpose of providing efficient, coordinated, safe, and responsive public transportation and with the power to acquire and operate public transportation assets, at minimum, an amount equal to the revenue from motor vehicle fees and surcharges collected pursuant to Title 39 of the Revised Statutes in each fiscal year that is in excess of:

     (a)   the revenue retained by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, or its successor, for its own operations in that fiscal year; and

     (b)   the amount remitted to the General Fund from those motor vehicle fees and surcharges for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2017.

 

     2.    When this proposed amendment to the Constitution is finally agreed to pursuant to Article IX, paragraph 1 of the Constitution, it shall be submitted to the people at the next general election occurring more than three months after the final agreement and shall be published at least once in at least one newspaper of each county designated by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Secretary of State, not less than three months prior to the general election.

 

     3.    This proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be submitted to the people at that election in the following manner and form:

     There shall be printed on each official ballot to be used at the general election, the following:

     a. In every municipality in which voting machines are not used, a legend which shall immediately precede the question as follows:

     If you favor the proposition printed below make a cross (X), plus (+), or check (a) in the square opposite the word "Yes." If you are opposed thereto make a cross (X), plus (+) or check (a) in the square opposite the word "No."

     b.    In every municipality the following question:

 

		CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO DEDICATE ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO THE STATE TRANSIT SYSTEM
	YES	Do you approve amending the State Constitution to require that a portion of revenue from motor vehicle fees go to the State transit system?  The State transit system would receive any money remaining after the fees are split between the Motor Vehicle Commission and the General Fund.
		INTERPRETIVE STATEMENT
	NO	This amendment dedicates money from motor vehicle fees and surcharges to support State transit operations.  Currently, motor vehicle fees and surcharges are split between the Motor Vehicle Commission and the General Fund.  The portion received by the Motor Vehicle Commission is used for its operations.  The portion received by the General Fund may be used for any State purpose.      This amendment does not change the funding that is kept by the Motor Vehicle Commission for its operations.  This amendment limits the amount of money from motor vehicle fees and surcharges received by the General Fund to about $500 million per year.  The rest of the money from motor vehicle fees and surcharges would be used for transit operations.      The amendment provides that the State transit system will receive the amount of money remaining from motor vehicle fees and surcharges after subtracting both: (1) the amount of money retained by the Motor Vehicle Commission for its operations; and (2) the amount from these fees and surcharges that was received by the General Fund in fiscal year 2018.  In any given year, it is possible that there will be no money remaining from motor vehicle fees and surcharges after subtracting these two amounts.

STATEMENT

 

     This concurrent resolution proposes to amend the State Constitution to dedicate a portion of revenue from motor vehicle fees and surcharges to the State transit system.  For each fiscal year commencing after the effective date of the amendment, the amendment requires the Legislature to appropriate to the operations of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, or to any other public corporation established by the Legislature for the purpose of providing efficient, coordinated, safe, and responsive public transportation and with the power to acquire and operate public transportation assets, at minimum, an amount equal to the revenue from motor vehicle fees and surcharges collected in that fiscal year that is in excess of the revenue remitted to the General Fund from those motor vehicle fees and surcharges for Fiscal Year 2018 and the amount to be retained by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for its own operations in that fiscal year.