Legislation Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Assembly Democrats Angelica Jimenez and Raj Mukherji sponsored to eliminate a deterrent to organ donation was approved by the Assembly on Monday and now heads to the governor’s desk.
The bill (A-374) would prohibit the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission from imposing duplicate identification card fees and replacement driver’s license fees, including the digitized picture fee, if a person requests the duplicate identification card or replacement license solely for the purpose of reflecting that he or she has become an organ donor.
Currently, the cost of having a duplicate identification card or replacement license issued is $11, including the digitized picture fee.
“We should be doing everything we can to promote organ donation,” said Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen). “Organ donation saves lives, and we should not be letting fees get in the way of it. This bill is, quite simply, common sense.”
“We need to encourage organ donation, not discourage it,” said Jimenez (D-Hudson/Bergen). “The difficult fact is that $11 is too costly for many hard-working New Jerseyans. Prohibiting this fee is a positive and life-saving step forward.”
“Each New Jersey resident who chooses to register for organ donor designation could potentially save eight lives,” said Mukherji (D-Hudson). “With more than 120,000 people in the United States waiting for a transplant, it’s important that we eliminate barriers to organ donation.”
In order to receive a replacement ID card or license, a person must first surrender his or her current ID card or license to the MVC.
The bill received unanimous approval from both houses of the legislature.