Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Provides for driver’s license suspension for any crime or offense occurring at pop-up party.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning pop-up parties 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. As used in this act:
“Pop-up party” means a gathering of 50 or more persons that is organized, promoted, or advertised through social media or other electronic communication and that is held in a public place without advance notice to the municipality in which the gathering occurs or other appropriate local governmental unit.
“Public place” means the same as that term is defined by section 1 of P.L.1991, c.383 (C.2C:33-2.1).
b. In addition to any other penalty imposed by law, the court shall, upon application of the prosecuting attorney, enter an order suspending or postponing for six months the driving privilege of any person convicted of or adjudicated delinquent for any crime or offense that occurred during and at the location of a pop-up party.
c. Upon entering an order suspending or postponing a person’s driving privileges pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the court shall forward a report to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission stating the first and last day of the driver’s license suspension or postponement period imposed by the court.
If a person is under the age of 17, the license postponement shall commence on the day the sentence is imposed and shall run for six months after the person reaches the age of 17, during which time the person is prohibited from obtaining a driver’s license. If a person is 17 years of age or older and does not possess a valid driver’s license, the person shall be prohibited from obtaining a driver’s license for six months. If a person has a valid driver's license issued by this State, the court shall immediately collect the license and forward it to the commission with the report. If, for any reason, the license cannot be collected, the court shall include the person's full name, address, date of birth, eye color, and gender in the report. If a person is not a New Jersey resident, the court shall, as appropriate, suspend or postpone the person’s non-resident driving privilege based on the person's age and submit the required report to the commission. The court shall not collect the license of a non-resident sentenced pursuant to this section.
Upon receipt of the court’s report, the commission shall notify the appropriate officials in the licensing jurisdiction of any suspension or postponement.
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits the suspension of a person’s driver’s license for crimes or offenses that occurred during and at the location of a pop-up party. The bill defines “pop-up party” as a gathering of 50 or more persons that is organized, promoted, or advertised through social media or other electronic communication and that is held in a public place without advance notice to the municipality in which the gathering occurs or other appropriate local governmental unit. The bill defines “public place” as any place to which the public has access.
In addition to any other penalty imposed by law, the bill requires the court, upon application of the prosecuting attorney, to suspend or postpone for six months the driving privilege of any person convicted of or adjudicated delinquent for any crime or offense that occurred during and at the location of a pop-up party. The bill provides that any person under 17 years of age at the time of sentencing would have their eligibility to obtain a driver’s license postponed for six months after reaching the age of 17.
The sponsor notes that pop-up parties organized on social media can quickly draw large crowds into public spaces, often with little to no advance notice to municipalities and law enforcement. These events often disrupt local businesses and residential communities and threaten public safety by requiring municipalities to divert emergency response resources to the gathering, thereby limiting their ability to respond to other emergencies. Current penalties, particularly for juveniles, do not adequately deter individuals from engaging in this conduct. The sponsor intends for this bill to help eliminate these events by allowing additional penalties, which may reduce the number of individuals willing to attend.