Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires MVC conduct study and make recommendations concerning electronic driver’s licenses and mobile applications.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the MVC to conduct a study and make recommendations concerning electronic driver’s licenses.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, shall prepare and submit to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) a report concerning the feasibility of electronic driver’s licenses.
The report shall describe the findings of the commission concerning the cost and resources required, advantages and disadvantages, privacy, security issues, use by law enforcement, and any other concerns related to the issuance of electronic driver’s licenses by the commission. The report shall also include an assessment of the means of issuing electronic driver’s licenses through a mobile application, and accessibility thereof.
b. The report shall make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature concerning the development and publication of a mobile application for the issuance and use of electronic driver’s licenses. The recommendations shall provide information related to the fiscal implications, such as: the cost, savings, and efficiencies of creating electronic driver’s licenses; keeping personal identifying information secure; whether charges should be assessed upon drivers for electronic driver’s licenses or the use of an application; and the anticipated amount of time necessary for effective implementation.
c. As used in this section:
“Application” means a program downloaded onto and used in conjunction with a mobile electronic communication device, and available through multiple software platforms.
“Mobile electronic communication device” means any mobile device capable of communication or other transmission of information and includes, but is not limited to, a cellular telephone, wireless tablet, or other device with Internet capability, or other wireless communication device.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), in consultation with the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, to prepare and submit to the Governor and to the Legislature a report concerning the feasibility of electronic driver’s licenses in New Jersey.
The report would describe the findings of the MVC concerning the cost and resources required, advantages and disadvantages, privacy, security issues, use by law enforcement, and any other concerns related to the issuance of electronic driver’s licenses by the MVC. The report would also include an assessment of the means of issuing electronic driver’s licenses through a mobile application (commonly known as an “app”), and the accessibility of the app by drivers.
The report would make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature concerning the development and publication of an app for the issuance and use of electronic driver’s licenses. The recommendations would provide information related to the fiscal implications, such as: the cost, savings, and efficiencies of creating electronic driver’s licenses; keeping personal identifying information secure; whether charges should be assessed upon drivers for electronic driver’s licenses or the use of an app; and the anticipated amount of time necessary for effective implementation.
Many states now allow drivers to present electronic proof of insurance. The Iowa Department of Transportation and Motor Vehicle Division recently announced it expects to issue an official electronic driver’s license through a mobile app sometime in 2015. This bill would require the MVC to study the feasibility of electronic driver’s licenses in New Jersey.