Legislation Sits on Governor’s Desk While Questions Surround New Teen Decal Provision & Curfew Changes
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle today urged Governor Christie to sign legislation she has sponsored requiring the Attorney General’s Office to examine the recent changes to New Jersey’s graduated license program – including the teen driver decal requirement. The bill was approved by the Assembly in June and received final legislative approval from the Senate on August 23. Since then it has sat on the Governor’s desk.
“The sooner the Governor signs this bill, the sooner the monitoring program can begin,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “Should the Attorney General find that the changes to the provisional license requirements are detrimental to the safety of any drivers, especially teenagers, then we need to move swiftly to make the necessary corrections. We cannot afford to have this bill languish on a desk while the unforeseen consequences of this law play out.”
Under the bill (A-2740), the state Office of the Attorney General would be required to spend the next six months reviewing Kyleigh’s Law, which made changes to New Jersey’s graduated license program, and then issue a report to the Legislature on the findings. The changes include the new license decal program for teen drivers and the curfew change for drivers from midnight to 11 p.m.
“The changes made to New Jersey’s graduated driver’s license program were designed with the best of intentions – to make our roadways safer and our teenagers better drivers,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “Unfortunately, some of the changes may have had unintended consequences. If this is the case, then we need to take corrective action and that needs to happen as soon as possible. I hope the Governor will sign this bill at once so the Attorney General’s office can begin a thorough examination.”