Prohibits use of license plate flipping device; increases penalty for displaying fictitious registration plate number in certain circumstances.

A4158

ASSEMBLY, No. 4158

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Prohibits use of license plate flipping device;
increases penalty for displaying fictitious registration plate number in
certain circumstances.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning license plate flipping devices and amending
R.S.39:1-1 and R.S.39:3-33.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� R.S.39:1-1 is amended to
read as follows:

���� 39:1-1.� As used in this
subtitle, unless other meaning is clearly apparent from the language or
context, or unless inconsistent with the manifest intention of the Legislature:

���� "Alley" means a
public highway wherein the roadway does not exceed 12 feet in width.

���� "Authorized emergency
vehicles" means vehicles of the fire department, police vehicles and such
ambulances and other vehicles as are approved by the chief administrator when
operated in response to an emergency call.

���� "Autocycle" means a
three-wheeled motorcycle designed to be controlled with a steering wheel and
pedals in which the operator and passenger may ride in a completely or
partially enclosed seating area that is equipped with a roll cage or roll hoops,
safety seat belts for each occupant, and anti-lock brakes.

���� "Automobile"
includes all motor vehicles except motorcycles.

���� "Berm" means that
portion of the highway exclusive of roadway and shoulder, bordering the
shoulder but not to be used for vehicular travel.

���� "Business district"
means that portion of a highway and the territory contiguous thereto, where
within any 600 feet along such highway there are buildings in use for business
or industrial purposes, including but not limited to hotels, banks, office
buildings, railroad stations, and public buildings which occupy at least 300
feet of frontage on one side or 300 feet collectively on both sides of the
roadway.

���� "Car pool" means two
or more persons commuting on a daily basis to and from work by means of a
vehicle with a seating capacity of nine passengers or less.

���� "Chief
Administrator" or "Administrator" means the Chief Administrator
of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

���� "Commercial motor
vehicle" includes every type of motor-driven vehicle used for commercial
purposes on the highways, such as the transportation of goods, wares and
merchandise, excepting such vehicles as are run only upon rails or tracks and
vehicles of the passenger car type used for touring purposes or the carrying of
farm products and milk, as the case may be.

���� "Commission" means
the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission established by section 4 of P.L.2003,
c.13 (C.39:2A-4).

���� "Commissioner" means
the Commissioner of Transportation of this State.

���� "Commuter van" means
a motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than seven nor more than
15 adult passengers, in which seven or more persons commute on a daily basis to
and from work and which vehicle may also be operated by the driver or other
designated persons for their personal use.

���� "Crosswalk" means
that part of a highway at an intersection, either marked or unmarked existing
at each approach of every roadway intersection, included within the connections
of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on opposite sides of the highway measured
from the curbs or, in the absence of curbs, from the edges of the shoulder, or,
if none, from the edges of the roadway; also, any portion of a highway at an
intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines
or other marking on the surface.

���� "Curb extension" or
"bulbout" means a horizontal extension of the sidewalk into the
street which results in a narrower roadway section.

���� "Dealer" includes
every person actively engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging
motor vehicles or motorcycles and who has an established place of business.

���� "Deputy Chief
Administrator" means the deputy chief administrator of the commission.

���� "Driver" means the
rider or driver of a horse, bicycle or motorcycle or the driver or operator of
a motor vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

���� �Electric vehicle charging�
space� means a publicly accessible� charging space or set of� charging spaces,
with visible signage indicating that the� charging space or spaces are
available for use by the public for charging plug-in electric vehicles.

���� "Explosives" means
any chemical compound or mechanical mixture that is commonly used or intended
for the purpose of producing an explosion and which contains any oxidizing and
combustive units or other ingredients in such proportions, quantities or
packing that an ignition by fire, friction, by concussion, by percussion, or by
detonator of any part of the compound or mixture may cause such a sudden
generation of highly heated gases that the resultant gaseous pressures are
capable of producing destructive effects on contiguous objects or of destroying
life or limb.

���� "Farm tractor" means
every motor vehicle designed and used primarily as a farm implement for drawing
plows, mowing machines, and other implements of husbandry.

���� "Flammable liquid"
means any liquid having a flash point below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and a vapor
pressure not exceeding 40 pounds.

���� "Gross weight" means
the combined weight of a vehicle and a load thereon.

���� "High occupancy
vehicle" or "HOV" means a vehicle which is used to transport two
or more persons and shall include public transportation, car pool, van pool,
and other vehicles as determined by regulation of the Department of Transportation.

���� "Highway" means the
entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly maintained when
any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular
travel.

���� "Horse" includes
mules and all other domestic animals used as draught animals or beasts of
burden.

���� "Inside lane" means
the lane nearest the center line of the roadway.

���� "Intersection" means
the area embraced within the prolongation of the lateral curb lines or, if
none, the lateral boundary lines of two or more highways which join one another
at an angle, whether or not one such highway crosses another.

���� "Laned roadway"
means a roadway which is divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for
vehicular traffic.

���� "Leased limousine"
means any limousine subject to regulation in the State which:

���� Is offered for rental or
lease, without a driver, to be operated by a limousine service as the lessee,
for the purpose of carrying passengers for hire; and

���� Is leased or rented for a
period of one year or more following registration.

���� "Leased motor
vehicle" means any motor vehicle subject to registration in this State
which:

���� Is offered for rental or
lease, without a driver, to be operated by the lessee, his agent or servant,
for purposes other than the transportation of passengers for hire; and

���� Is leased or rented for a
period of one year or more following registration.

����
�License plate flipping
device� means a device that enables a registration plate, required pursuant to
R.S.39:3-33, to be changed to another registration plate with different
identification marks either manually or electronically. "License plate
flipping device" includes technology that is capable of changing the
appearance of a registration plate to appear as a different registration plate.

���� "Limited-access
highway" means every highway, street, or roadway in respect to which
owners or occupants of abutting lands and other persons have no legal right of
access to or from the same except at such points only and in such manner as may
be determined by the public authority having jurisdiction over such highway,
street, or roadway; and includes any highway designated as a
"freeway" or "parkway" by authority of law.

���� "Local authorities"
means every county, municipal and other local board or body having authority to
adopt local police regulations under the Constitution and laws of this State,
including every county governing body with relation to county roads.

���� "Low-speed electric
bicycle" means a two or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals
and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, that meets the requirements of
one of the following classifications: "class 1 low-speed electric bicycle"
which means a low-speed electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides
assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide
assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour; or
"class 2 low-speed electric bicycle'' which means a low-speed electric
bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the
bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle
reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

���� "Low-speed electric
scooter" means a scooter with a floorboard that can be stood upon by the
operator, with handlebars, and an electric motor that is capable of propelling
the device with or without human propulsion at a maximum speed of less than 19
miles per hour.

���� "Low-speed vehicle"
means a four-wheeled low-speed vehicle, as defined in 49 C.F.R. s.571.3(b),
whose attainable speed is more than 20 miles per hour but not more than 25
miles per hour on a paved level surface and which is not powered by gasoline or
diesel fuel and complies with federal safety standards as set forth in 49
C.F.R. s.571.500.

���� "Magistrate" means
any municipal court and the Superior Court, and any officer having the powers
of a committing magistrate and the chief administrator.

���� "Manufacturer" means
a person engaged in the business of manufacturing or assembling motor vehicles,
who will, under normal business conditions during the year, manufacture or
assemble at least 10 new motor vehicles.

���� "Metal tire" means
every tire the surface of which in contact with the highway is wholly or partly
of metal or other hard nonresilient material.

���� "Mid-block
crosswalk" means a crosswalk located away from an intersection, distinctly
indicated by lines or markings on the surface.

���� "Motorized bicycle"
means a pedal bicycle having a helper motor characterized in that either the
maximum piston displacement is less than 50 cc. or said motor is rated at no
more than 1.5 brake horsepower or is powered by an electric drive motor and
said bicycle is capable of a maximum speed of no more than 25 miles per hour on
a flat surface or a pedal bicycle having an electric motor that is capable of
propelling the bicycle in excess of 20 miles per hour with a maximum
motor-powered speed of no more than 28 miles per hour on a flat surface.� This
term shall not include a low-speed electric bicycle or low-speed electric
scooter as defined in this section.

���� "Motorcycle"
includes motorcycles, autocycles, motor bikes, bicycles with motor attached and
all motor-operated vehicles of the bicycle or tricycle type, except motorized
bicycles, low-speed electric bicycles, and low-speed electric scooters as
defined in this section, whether the motive power be a part thereof or attached
thereto and having a saddle or seat with driver sitting astride or upon it or a
platform on which the driver stands.

���� "Motor-drawn
vehicle" includes trailers, semitrailers, or any other type of vehicle
drawn by a motor-driven vehicle.

���� "Motor vehicle"
includes all vehicles propelled otherwise than by muscular power, excepting
such vehicles as run only upon rails or tracks, low-speed electric bicycles,
low-speed electric scooters, and motorized bicycles.

���� "Motorized scooter"
means a miniature motor vehicle and includes, but is not limited to, pocket
bikes, super pocket bikes, scooters, mini-scooters, sport scooters, mini
choppers, mini motorcycles, motorized skateboards and other vehicles with motors
not manufactured in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and
which have no permanent Federal Safety Certification stickers affixed to the
vehicle by the original manufacturer. This term shall not include:� electric
personal assistive mobility devices, motorized bicycles, low-speed vehicles,
low-speed electric bicycles, or low-speed electric scooters or motorized
wheelchairs, mobility scooters, or similar mobility assisting devices used by
persons with physical disabilities or persons whose ambulatory mobility has
been impaired by age or illness.

���� "Motorized
skateboard" means a skateboard that is propelled otherwise than by
muscular power.

���� "Motorized
wheelchair" means any motor-driven wheelchair utilized to increase the
independent mobility, in the activities of daily living, of an individual who
has limited or no ambulation abilities and includes mobility scooters
manufactured specifically for such purposes and designed primarily for indoor
use.

���� "Noncommercial
truck" means every motor vehicle designed primarily for transportation of
property and which is not a "commercial vehicle."

���� "Official traffic control
devices" means all signs, signals, markings, and devices not inconsistent
with this subtitle placed or erected by authority of a public body or official
having jurisdiction for the purpose of regulating, warning, or guiding traffic.

���� "Omnibus" includes
all motor vehicles used for the transportation of passengers for hire, except
commuter vans and vehicles used in ridesharing arrangements and school buses if
the same are not otherwise used in the transportation of passengers for hire.

���� "Operator" means a
person who is in actual physical control of a vehicle or street car.

���� "Outside lane" means
the lane nearest the curb or outer edge of the roadway.

���� "Owner" means a
person who holds the legal title of a vehicle or if a vehicle is the subject of
an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof with the right of
purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an
immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee, or if
a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then the conditional
vendee, lessee, or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this
subtitle.

���� "Parking" means the
standing or waiting on a street, road, or highway of a vehicle not actually
engaged in receiving or discharging passengers or merchandise, unless in
obedience to traffic regulations or traffic signs or signals.

���� "Passenger
automobile" means all automobiles used and designed for the transportation
of passengers, other than omnibuses and school buses.

���� "Pedestrian" means a
person afoot.

���� "Person" includes
natural persons, firms, copartnerships, associations, and corporations.

���� �Plug-in electric vehicle�
means a vehicle that has a battery, or an equivalent energy storage device,
that can be charged from an electricity supply external to the vehicle with an
electric plug.� This term includes a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

���� �Plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle� means a vehicle that can be charged from a source of electricity
external to the vehicle through an electric plug, but is not exclusively
powered by electricity.

���� "Pneumatic tire"
means every tire in which compressed air is designed to support the load.

���� "Pole trailer" means
every vehicle without motive power designed to be drawn by another vehicle and
attached to the towing vehicle by means of a reach, or pole, or by being boomed
or otherwise secured to the towing vehicle and ordinarily used for transporting
long or irregularly shaped loads, such as poles, pipes, or structural members
capable, generally, of sustaining themselves as beams between the supporting
connections.

���� "Private road or
driveway" means every road or driveway not open to the use of the public
for purposes of vehicular travel.

���� "Railroad train"
means a steam engine, electric or other motor, with or without cars coupled
thereto, operated upon rails, except street cars.

���� "REAL ID basic driver's
license" means a basic driver's license issued by the commission that
complies with the provisions of the "REAL ID Act of 2005,"
Pub.L.109-13, any acts amendatory or supplementary thereto, and any federal
regulations adopted thereunder.

���� "REAL ID identification
card" means an identification card issued by the commission that complies
with the provisions of the "REAL ID Act of 2005," Pub.L.109-13, any
acts amendatory or supplementary thereto, and any federal regulations adopted
thereunder.

���� "REAL ID license"
means any license to operate a motor vehicle issued by the commission that
complies with the provisions of the "REAL ID Act of 2005,"
Pub.L.109-13, any acts amendatory or supplementary thereto, and any federal
regulations adopted thereunder.

���� "REAL ID motorcycle
license" means a motorcycle license issued by the commission that complies
with the provisions of the "REAL ID Act of 2005," Pub.L.109-13, any
acts amendatory or supplementary thereto, and any federal regulations adopted
thereunder.

���� "REAL ID probationary
license" means a probationary license issued by the commission that
complies with the provisions of the "REAL ID Act of 2005,"
Pub.L.109-13, any acts amendatory or supplementary thereto, and any federal
regulations adopted thereunder.

���� "Recreation vehicle"
means a self-propelled or towed vehicle equipped to serve as temporary living
quarters for recreational, camping, or travel purposes and used solely as a
family or personal conveyance.

���� "Residence district"
means that portion of a highway and the territory contiguous thereto, not
comprising a business district, where within any 600 feet along such highway
there are buildings in use for business or residential purposes which occupy
300 feet or more of frontage on at least one side of the highway.

���� "Ridesharing" means
the transportation of persons in a motor vehicle, with a maximum carrying
capacity of not more than 15 passengers, including the driver, where such
transportation is incidental to the purpose of the driver.� The term shall include
such ridesharing arrangements known as car pools and van pools.

���� "Right-of-way" means
the privilege of the immediate use of the highway.

���� "Road tractor" means
every motor vehicle designed and used for drawing other vehicles and not so
constructed as to carry any load thereon either independently or any part of
the weight of a vehicle or load so drawn.

���� "Roadway" means that
portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular
travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. In the event a highway includes two
or more separate roadways, the term "roadway" as used herein shall
refer to any such roadway separately, but not to all such roadways,
collectively.

���� "Safety zone" means
the area or space officially set aside within a highway for the exclusive use
of pedestrians, which is so plainly marked or indicated by proper signs as to
be plainly visible at all times while set apart as a safety zone.

���� "School bus" means
every motor vehicle operated by, or under contract with, a public or
governmental agency, or religious or other charitable organization or
corporation, or privately operated for the transportation of children to or
from school for secular or religious education, which complies with the
regulations of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission affecting school buses,
including "School Vehicle Type I" and "School Vehicle Type
II" as defined below:

���� "School Vehicle Type
I" means any vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers,
including the driver, used to transport enrolled children, and adults only when
serving as chaperones, to or from a school, school-connected activity, day camp,
summer day camp, summer residence camp, nursery school, child care center,
preschool center, or other similar places of education. Such vehicle shall
comply with the regulations of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and
either the Department of Education or the Department of Human Services,
whichever is the appropriate supervising agency.

���� "School Vehicle Type
II" means any vehicle designed to transport less than 16 passengers,
including the driver, used to transport enrolled children, and adults only when
serving as chaperones, to or from a school, school-connected activity, day
camp, summer day camp, summer residence camp, nursery school, child care
center, preschool center, or other similar places of education. Such vehicle
shall comply with the regulations of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
and either the Department of Education or the Department of Human Services,
whichever is the appropriate supervising agency.

���� "School zone" means
that portion of a highway which is either contiguous to territory occupied by a
school building or is where school crossings are established in the vicinity of
a school, upon which are maintained appropriate "school signs" in
accordance with specifications adopted by the chief administrator and in
accordance with law.

���� "School crossing"
means that portion of a highway where school children are required to cross the
highway in the vicinity of a school.

���� "Semitrailer" means
every vehicle with or without motive power, other than a pole trailer, designed
for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so
constructed that some part of its weight and that of its load rests upon or is
carried by another vehicle.

���� "Shipper" means any
person who shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, any commodity, produce, or
article for transportation as the contents or load of a commercial motor
vehicle.� In the case of a sealed ocean container, "shipper" shall
not be construed to include any person whose activities with respect to the
shipment are limited to the solicitation or negotiation of the sale, resale, or
exchange of the commodity, produce, or article within that container.

���� "Shoulder" means
that portion of the highway, exclusive of and bordering the roadway, designed
for emergency use but not ordinarily to be used for vehicular travel.

���� "Sidewalk" means
that portion of a highway intended for the use of pedestrians between the curb
line or the lateral line of a shoulder or, if none, the lateral line of the
roadway and the adjacent right-of-way line.

���� "Sign." See
"Official traffic control devices."

���� "Slow-moving
vehicle" means a vehicle run at a speed less than the maximum speed then
and there permissible.

���� "Solid tire" means
every tire of rubber or other resilient material which does not depend upon
compressed air for the support of the load.

���� "Standard" means,
when used to describe any license to operate a motor vehicle or any
identification card issued by the commission under the provisions of this
Title, that the issuance of the license or identification card does not require
proof of lawful presence in the United States.

���� "Street" means the
same as highway.

���� "Street car" means a
car other than a railroad train for transporting persons or property and
operated upon rails principally within a municipality.

���� "Stop," when
required, means complete cessation from movement.

���� "Stopping or
standing," when prohibited, means any cessation of movement of a vehicle,
whether occupied or not, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other
traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic
control sign or signal.

���� "Suburban business or
residential district" means that portion of highway and the territory
contiguous thereto, where within any 1,320 feet along that highway there is
land in use for business or residential purposes and that land occupies more
than 660 feet of frontage on one side or collectively more than 660 feet of
frontage on both sides of that roadway.

���� "Through highway"
means every highway or portion thereof at the entrances to which vehicular
traffic from intersecting highways is required by law to stop before entering
or crossing the same and when stop signs are erected as provided in this chapter.

���� "Trackless trolley"
means every motor vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from
overhead trolley wires but not operated upon rails.

���� "Traffic" means
pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, street cars, and other
conveyances either singly, or together, while using any highway for purposes of
travel.

���� "Traffic control
signal" means a device, whether manually, electrically, mechanically, or
otherwise controlled, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and to
proceed.

���� "Trailer" means
every vehicle with or without motive power, other than a pole trailer, designed
for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so
constructed that no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle.

���� "Truck" means every
motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of
property.

���� "Truck tractor"
means every motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other
vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the
weight of the vehicle and load so drawn.

���� "Van pooling" means
seven or more persons commuting on a daily basis to and from work by means of a
vehicle with a seating arrangement designed to carry seven to 15 adult
passengers.

���� "Vehicle" means
every device in, upon, or by which a person or property is or may be
transported upon a highway, excepting devices moved by human power or used
exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks or low-speed electric bicycles,
low-speed electric scooters, or motorized bicycles.

(cf: P.L.2025, c.155, s.1)

���� 2.��� R.S.39:3-33 is amended
to read as follows:

���� 39:3-33.� The owner of an
automobile which is driven on the public highways of this State shall display
not less than 12 inches nor more than 48 inches from the ground in a horizontal
position, and in such a way as not to swing, a registration plate or plates to
be furnished by the commission; provided, that if two registration plates are
issued they shall be displayed on the front and rear of the vehicle; and
provided, further, that if only one registration plate is issued it shall be
displayed on the rear of the vehicle; and provided, further, that the rear
registration plate may be displayed more than 48 inches from the ground on tank
trucks, trailers, and other commercial vehicles carrying inflammable liquids
and on sanitation vehicles which are used to collect, transport, and dispose of
garbage, solid wastes, and refuse.� Motorcycles shall also display a
registration plate or plates; provided, that if two registration plates are
issued they shall be displayed on the front and rear of the motorcycle; and provided,
further, that if only one registration plate is issued it shall be displayed on
the rear of the motorcycle.

���� The registration plate shall
contain the number of the registration certificate of the vehicle and shall be
of such design and material as prescribed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1989,
c.202 (C.39:3-33.9).� All registration plates shall be kept clear and distinct
and free from grease, dust, or other blurring matter, so as to be plainly
visible at all times of the day and night.

���� A person shall not drive a
motor vehicle which has a registration plate frame or holder that conceals or
otherwise obscures the name of the State or the registration number furnished
by the commission imprinted upon the vehicle's registration plate, or any part
of any insert which the commission, as hereinafter provided, issues to be
inserted in and attached to that registration plate, or that conceals or
otherwise obscures the name of the State, the registration number, or the
expiration date on any temporary registration certificate or temporary
registration plate issued by the commission.� It shall not be a violation of
this section and therefore not a basis for a lawful stop if part of the name of
the State or the registration number imprinted on a vehicle's registration
plate, or part of an insert issued by the commission inserted in or attached to
the registration plate, or part of the name of the State, the registration
number, or the expiration date on a temporary registration certificate or temporary
registration plate is concealed or otherwise obscured in a way such that the
information to which this provision applies can still reasonably be identified
or discerned.� The Attorney General shall issue such guidance as the Attorney
General deems necessary for law enforcement officers to properly interpret and
enforce the provisions of this section.

���� The chief administrator is
authorized and empowered to issue registration plate inserts, to be inserted in
and attached to the registration plates described herein.� They may be issued
in the place of new registration plates; and inscribed thereon, in numerals,
shall be the year in which registration of the vehicle has been granted.

���� No person shall drive a motor
vehicle the owner of which has not complied with the provisions of this
subtitle concerning the proper registration and identification thereof, nor
drive a motor vehicle which displays a fictitious number, or a number other than
that designated for the motor vehicle in its registration certificate.� During
the period of time between the application for motor vehicle registration and
the receipt of registration plates from the commission, no person shall affix a
plate for the purpose of advertisement in the position on a motor vehicle
normally reserved for the display of the registration plates required by this
section if the plate is designed with a combination of letters, numbers,
colors, or words to resemble the registration plates required by this section.

����
A person convicted of
displaying a fictitious number, as prohibited in this section, through the use
of a license plate flipping device shall be subject to: a fine not exceeding
$750, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both;

a
fine of up to $1,000; imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60
days, or both if the offense is committed in a residential district or school
zone; and a fine of up to $1,500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more
than 90 days, or both if the offense is committed during or to aid in the
commission of a crime, offense, or another violation under Title 39 of the
Revised Statutes.

���� A person
otherwise

convicted of displaying a fictitious number
[
,
as prohibited herein,
]

shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment in the county
jail for not more than 60 days.

���� A person violating any other
provision of this section shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $100.� In
default of the payment thereof, there shall be imposed an imprisonment in the
county jail for a period not exceeding 10 days.� A person convicted of a second
offense of the same violation may be fined in double the amount herein
prescribed for the first offense and may, in default of the payment thereof, be
punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding 20
days.� These penalties shall not apply to the display of a fictitious number.

(cf: P.L.2023, c.49, s.1)

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of
enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill prohibits the use of
license plate flipping devices and increases the penalty for displaying a
fictitious plate number if a flipping device was used.

���� Current law provides that a
person convicted of displaying a fictitious number on a motor vehicle
registration plate, also referred to in statutory law as a license plate, is
subject to a fine of up to $500 or a term of imprisonment of up to 60 days. The
bill provides that a person convicted of displaying a fictitious number through
the use of a license plate flipping device:

���� (1) would be subject to a fine
of up to $750, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or
both;

���� (2) if the offense is
committed in a residential district or school zone, would be subject to a fine
of up to $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or
both; and

���� (3) if the offense is
committed during or to aid in the commission of a crime, offense, or another
violation under Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, would be subject to a fine of
up to $1,500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days, or
both.

����� The bill defines a �license
plate flipping device� as a device that enables a registration plate to be
changed to another registration plate with different identification marks
either manually or electronically. Under the bill, the term also includes technology
that is capable of changing the appearance of a registration plate to appear as
a different registration plate. �