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Bill

S 2002

Permits issuance of motorcycle endorsement to certain out-of-State military personnel.

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Vin Gopal and 1 co-sponsor

Allows mail‑in issuance of a NJ motorcycle endorsement to out‑of‑state military personnel, spouses, or dependents who provide MSF completion and duty documentation.

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
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Bill Summary · S 2002

Summary — S 2002

Permits issuance of a motorcycle endorsement by mail to certain out‑of‑State military personnel, their spouses, and dependents.

Purpose

Allow New Jersey drivers who are serving outside the State as members of the U.S. armed forces (and their spouses/dependents) to obtain a motorcycle endorsement on a valid New Jersey driver’s license without returning to New Jersey to retake written or road tests or repeat a motorcycle safety course.

Key provisions

  • The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) must, upon written request and receipt of the statutory fee, issue a motorcycle endorsement by mail to a person who:
    • Holds a valid New Jersey driver’s license; and
    • Is a member of the U.S. armed services serving outside New Jersey, or is the spouse or dependent of such a member; and
    • Provides documentation of successful completion of an approved Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Rider Education Course (substantially similar to the NJ course established by law); and
    • Provides documentation of assignment outside the State.
  • The endorsement may be issued without requiring the applicant to return to New Jersey for written or road testing or to complete another safety course.
  • Effective date: the first day of the third month following enactment.

(Note: the bill references payment of the fee established in R.S.39:3‑10; versions show slight subsection differences.)

Eligibility and required documentation

  • Eligible: New Jersey license holders who are (1) active duty military personnel assigned outside NJ, (2) spouses of such personnel, or (3) dependents of such personnel.
  • Required documentation: proof of completion of an approved MSF Rider Education Course and proof of out‑of‑state military assignment; payment of the applicable endorsement fee.

Administrative and fiscal impact

  • Agency affected: New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
  • Office of Legislative Services (OLS) fiscal estimate: an indeterminate increase in State expenditures, largely concentrated in the first year. Costs stem from developing and implementing a new mail‑in endorsement process, website/ materials updates, staff time, and verifying submitted documents.
  • OLS characterizes the likely workload as modest. Using MVC data (6.7 million licensed drivers and an illustrative estimate of ~350,000 motorcycle endorsements, ~5% of drivers) and 11,349 active‑duty service members from NJ (Aug 31, 2024), OLS estimated a plausible pool of roughly 568 military members who might seek endorsements — suggesting limited application volume and modest ongoing costs. Once issued, motorcycle endorsements do not require separate renewal.

Who is affected

  • Directly: eligible out‑of‑state New Jersey license holders in military service and their spouses/dependents.
  • Indirectly: MVC operations and staff who will process mail‑in endorsement requests and perform document verification.

Procedural status and timeline

  • Reported favorably by the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee (Dec 16, 2024).
  • Referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (current status listed).
  • Additional recorded actions include introduction and committee referrals in 2024–2025 and a scheduled hearing (listed 09/15/2025).
  • Sponsor: Senator Eric S. Schmitt (primary).

This bill is intended to ease access to motorcycle licensing for military members and their dependents serving away from New Jersey by enabling remote, document‑based issuance of endorsements.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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