Bill > S203

Introduced Session

This bill strengthens personal privacy and security for New Jersey residents by requiring the redaction of personal identifying information and auto insurance policy numbers from vehicle accident reports before those reports are released to the public under the law commonly known as the open public records act (OPRA). At a time when data breaches and identity theft are increasingly common, safeguarding this information is essential to protecting individuals' privacy rights and preventing misuse of sensitive data. The bill limits access to unredacted vehicle accident reports to parties with a clearly defined legal, insurance, or investigatory purpose. Authorized parties include individuals involved in the accident; their attorneys; insurance companies representing a party to the accident; and local, State, and federal law enforcement agencies and their employees or agents acting within the scope of their official duties. Under the bill, authorized recipients are strictly limited to using unredacted information for official purposes and are prohibited from disclosing it publicly without the written consent of all involved parties or, in the case of a deceased or incapacitated person, the legal next of kin. To deter unauthorized disclosure, the bill imposes escalating civil penalties. The penalties are $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second offense, and $5,000 for each subsequent offense. The bill also requires custodians of government records at government agencies to keep a log of unredacted accident report disclosures, which are required to be made available to the Government Records Council or Attorney General upon request in connection with an investigation.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Patrick Diegnan (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document