Sponsored by:
Assemblyman NICHOLAS CHIARAVALLOTI
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, Assemblymen Houghtaling, Verrelli and Assemblywoman Murphy
SYNOPSIS
Establishes criminal penalties for production and display of false COVID-19 vaccination verification card.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning falsified documents and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A person who knowingly sells, offers or exposes for sale, or otherwise transfers, or possesses with the intent to sell, offer, or expose for sale, or otherwise transfer, a document, printed form, or other writing which falsely purports to be a verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is guilty of a crime of the second degree.
b. A person who knowingly makes, or possesses devices or materials to make, a document or other writing which falsely purports to be a verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is guilty of a crime of the second degree.
c. A person who knowingly exhibits, displays, or utters a document or other writing which falsely purports to be a verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is guilty of a crime of the third degree.
d. A person who knowingly possesses a document or other writing which falsely purports to be a verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes certain criminal penalties in connection with documents that falsely purport to be a verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A person who knowingly sells,
offers or exposes for sale, or otherwise transfers, or possesses with the
intent to sell, offer or expose for sale, or otherwise transfer a false
COVID-19 vaccination verification card, or who makes or possesses the devices
or materials to make false COVID-19 vaccination verification cards, will be
guilty of a crime of the second degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for
five to 10 years, up to a $150,000 fine, or both.
A person who knowingly exhibits, displays or utters a false COVID-18 vaccination verification card will be guilty of a crime of the third degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for three to five years, up to a $15,000 fine, or both.
A person who knowingly possesses a false COVID-19 vaccination verification card will be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 18 months, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.