Bill > A2011

Introduced Session

This bill prohibits towing companies from requiring the owner of a stolen motor vehicle to pay a fee to release the vehicle from a storage facility. With the rise of motor vehicle thefts in the State, every effort should be made to assist owners in recovering their stolen vehicles. Unfortunately, owners facing a financial hardship cannot pay for the release of a recovered vehicle from a towing company's storage facility because they cannot afford the fee charged by the towing company. Under this bill, the "Predatory Towing Prevention Act" is amended to prohibit a towing company from charging this fee to the owner of a stolen motor vehicle so long as the owner provides a copy of the stolen vehicle police report to the towing company. If the owner of a stolen motor vehicle has been contacted by law enforcement regarding the recovery of the owner's vehicle, the owner of the recovered vehicle will have 72 hours to retrieve the vehicle from a storage facility without incurring a direct fee. If 72 hours have passed and the owner of the recovered vehicle has not retrieved the vehicle, the towing company may charge the owner a fee for the days the vehicle has been kept at the storage facility beyond the 72-hour period. Notwithstanding any fee incurred by the 72-hour requirement, any fee to release the recovered vehicle from a storage facility will be paid by the insurance carrier insuring the vehicle or, if the vehicle is not insured, by the State Motor Vehicle Commission. The insurance carrier of the recovered vehicle may pay the fee to release the recovered vehicle directly to the towing company or may reimburse the vehicle owner for the cost.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Reginald Atkins (D)*,  William Sampson (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Carmen Morales (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document