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A2192
ASSEMBLY, No. 2192
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes Automobile Theft Prevention Authority;
appropriates $2 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority,
supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� There is
established, in the Department of Law and Public Safety, an Automobile Theft
Prevention Authority, which shall be governed by a board of directors.� The
purpose of the authority shall be to establish, coordinate, and fund activities
to prevent, combat, and reduce automobile theft; improve and support automobile
theft law enforcement and administration; and improve and support automobile
theft prosecution.� The �Automobile Theft Prevention Authority Fund�
established pursuant to subsection i. of this section shall be used to fund the
authority.
���� b.��� The board of directors
shall consist of the following seven members:
���� (1)� the Attorney General or a
designee who shall serve ex-officio;
���� (2)� a law enforcement officer
employed by the Division of State Police with experience in investigating
automobile theft appointed by the Governor;
���� (3)�� a county prosecutor with
experience in prosecuting automobile theft cases appointed by the Governor;
���� (4)�� a representative of an
insurance company doing business in this State which is authorized to write
automobile insurance appointed by the Governor; and
���� (5)�� three public members
appointed by the Governor.
���� c.���� Except for the Attorney
General, the members of the board of directors shall serve for a term of four
years. Any vacancies in the board of directors shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointments were made.
���� d.��� The board of directors
shall select a chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not
be a member of the board.�
���� e.���� A majority of the board
of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or the
exercise of a power or function of the authority.� Notwithstanding any
provision of law to the contrary, action may be taken by the board of directors
at a meeting upon a vote of the majority of its members present.� The board of
directors shall meet at the call of the chairperson or as may be provided in
the bylaws of the board.
���� f.���� Members of the board of
directors shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary
expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
���� g.��� The authority shall have
the powers and duties necessary to carry out and effectuate its purposes,
including but not limited to, the power to:
���� (1) employ administrative,
professional, clerical, and other personnel as required to effectuate the
provisions of this section;
���� (2)� make, execute, and
deliver contracts, conveyances, and other instruments necessary for the
exercise of its powers and make and amend bylaws;
���� (3)� procure insurance against
any loss in connection with its property, assets, or activities;
���� (4)� apply for, solicit,
receive, establish priorities for, allocate, disperse, contract for,
administer, and spend any funds made available to the authority from any source
consistent with the purposes of this section;
���� (5)� make grants and provide
financial support for government agencies and community, consumer, and business
organizations consistent with the purposes of this section;
���� (6)� invest any funds held in
reserve and any money not required for immediate use or disbursement at its
discretion and to name and use depositories for its money;
���� (7)� assess the scope of the
problem of automobile theft, including identification of those areas in this
State where the problem is greatest, and review State and local criminal
justice policies, programs, and plans dealing with automobile theft;
���� (8)� develop and sponsor the
implementation of Statewide plans, programs, and strategies to combat
automobile theft; improve the administration of the automobile theft laws; and
provide a forum for identification of critical programs for those persons dealing
with automobile theft;
���� (9)� coordinate the
development, adoption, and implementation of plans, programs, and strategies
relating to interagency and intergovernmental cooperation with respect to
automobile theft law enforcement;
���� (10)� promulgate rules or
regulations related to the expenditure of any money held in a fund in order to
assist and support agencies, units of government, and other organizations
charged with the responsibility of reducing automobile theft or interested and
involved in achieving this goal; and
���� (11)� audit, at its
discretion, the plans and programs that it has funded in order to evaluate the
effectiveness of the plans and programs and withdraw funding if the authority
determines that a plan or program is ineffective or is no longer in need of further
financial support from the authority.
���� h.��� The authority shall
report annually to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) on the authority�s activities in the preceding
year.� The report shall be made available to the public on the Internet website
of the Department of Law and Public Safety.
���� i.���� There is established in
the Department of Law and Public Safety a separate, nonlapsing fund to be known
as the �Automobile Theft Prevention Authority Fund.�� The fund shall be
administered by the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority established by this
section and dedicated for the purposes set forth in this section.� The fund
shall consist of moneys appropriated by section 2 of P.L.��� ,
c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
���� 2.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Law and Public Safety $2,000,000 for
the provision of that amount to the �Automobile Theft Prevention Authority Fund�
for the purposes set forth in section 1 of P.L.���� ,
c.���� (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the third month after enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the
Automobile Theft Prevention Authority in the Department of Law and Public
Safety.�
���� Under the bill, the authority
is to be governed by a board of directors.� The bill provides that the purpose
of the authority is to establish, coordinate, and fund activities to prevent,
combat, and reduce automobile theft; improve and support automobile theft law
enforcement and administration; and improve and support automobile theft
prosecution.�
���� Under the provisions of this
bill, the board of directors is to consist of the following seven members: 1)
the Attorney General or a designee who is to serve ex-officio; 2) a law
enforcement officer employed by the Division of State Police with experience in
investigating automobile theft appointed by the Governor; 3) a county
prosecutor with experience in prosecuting automobile theft cases appointed by
the Governor; 4) a representative of an insurance company doing business in
this state which is authorized to write automobile insurance appointed by the
Governor; and 5) three public members appointed by the Governor.
���� The bill provides that except
for the Attorney General, the members of the board of directors are to serve
for a term of four years.� Vacancies are to be filled in the same manner as the
original appointments were made.� The board of directors is to select a
chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of
the board.� Under the bill, a majority of the board of directors is to
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or the exercise of a power
or function of the authority.� However, action may be taken by the board at a
meeting upon a vote of the majority of its members present.
���� In addition, the bill provides
that the authority is to have the powers and duties necessary to carry out and
effectuate the purposes of the bill, including but not limited to, the power
to: 1) employ administrative, professional, clerical, and other personnel as
required to effectuate the provisions of the bill; 2) make, execute, and
deliver contracts, conveyances, and other instruments necessary for the
exercise of its powers and make and amend bylaws; 3) procure insurance against
any loss in connection with its property, assets, or activities; 4) apply for,
solicit, receive, establish priorities for, allocate, disperse, contract for,
administer, and spend any funds made available to the authority from any source
consistent with the purposes of the bill; 5) make grants and provide financial
support for government agencies and community, consumer, and business
organizations consistent with the purposes of the bill; 6) invest any funds
held in reserve and any money not required for immediate use or disbursement at
its discretion and to name and use depositories for its money; 7) assess the
scope of the problem of automobile theft, including identification of those
areas in this State where the problem is greatest, and review State and local
criminal justice policies, programs, and plans dealing with automobile theft;
8) develop and sponsor the implementation of Statewide plans, programs, and
strategies to combat automobile theft; improve the administration of the
automobile theft laws; and provide a forum for identification of critical
programs for those persons dealing with automobile theft; 9) coordinate the
development, adoption, and implementation of plans, programs, and strategies
relating to interagency and intergovernmental cooperation with respect to automobile
theft law enforcement; 10) promulgate rules or regulations related to the
expenditure of any money held in a fund in order to assist and support
agencies, units of government, and other organizations charged with the
responsibility of reducing automobile theft or interested and involved in
achieving this goal; and 11) audit, at its discretion, the plans and programs
that it has funded in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the plans and
programs and withdraw funding if the authority determines that a plan or
program is ineffective or is no longer in need of further financial support
from the authority.
���� The bill also provides that
the authority is to report annually to the Governor and the Legislature on the
authority�s activities in the preceding year.� The report is to be made
available to the public on the Internet website of the Department of Law and
Public Safety.
���� In addition, the bill
establishes in the Department of Law and Public Safety a separate, nonlapsing
fund to be known as the �Automobile Theft Prevention Authority Fund.�� The fund
is to be administered by the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority established
by the bill and dedicated for the purposes set forth in the bill.�
���� Finally, the bill appropriates
from the General Fund to the Department of Law and Public Safety $2,000,000 for
the provision of that amount to the �Automobile Theft Prevention Authority
Fund� for the purposes set forth in the bill.�