Bill > A3335

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a "Motor Vehicle Surcharge Community Service Program," which is to be administered by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. The purpose of the program is to allow a person who is unemployed but has enrolled in an education or job training program to perform community service in lieu of paying motor vehicle surcharges. The bill requires the commissioner to coordinate with the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to waive motor vehicle surcharges imposed on applicants who complete a community service project in participating counties and municipalities. In order to be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant is required to demonstrate that he or she is unemployed, has been assessed and is unable to pay a motor vehicle surcharge or surcharges, and is enrolled in a job training or education program. The process of applying for a commercial driver license or endorsement constitutes job training under the bill. If the driving privilege of an applicant has been suspended for failure to pay surcharges, the chief administrator is required to reinstate the applicant's driving privilege when the applicant commences the community services program. If an applicant fails to complete a community service project, the applicant's total outstanding motor vehicle surcharges and any interest accrued become due immediately. In addition, the applicant's driving privilege is to be suspended until the applicant satisfies the outstanding surcharge assessment. The governing body of any county or municipality may apply to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to participate in the program. The eligible community service projects are to include, but not be limited to, improvements to county and municipal buildings, grounds, roads, streams, and other county or municipal property. The volunteer labor used by a municipality or county would not displace or remove from employment any paid public or private employee or in any way reduce the workforce within a county or municipality. The bill further provides that a qualifying applicant would not be denied participation in the program due to a lack of volunteer labor projects. After a person has completed a community service project under the program, the bill requires the chief administrator to waive all surcharges and interest levied for accumulated motor vehicle points and those levied for motor vehicle violations or convictions for which points are not assessed. The bill provides that any driver whose outstanding surcharges include levies imposed for a drunk driving conviction or refusal to submit to a blood alcohol content test are not eligible to participate in this program.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Reed Gusciora (D)*,  Raj Mukherji (D)*,  Eliana Pintor Marin (D)*,  L. Grace Spencer (D)*,  Shavonda Sumter (D)*,  Benjie Wimberly (D)*,  Ralph Caputo (D),  JoAnn Downey (D),  John McKeon (D),  Sheila Oliver (D), 

Substituted by S1585 (1R) (on 12/19/2016)