Legislation aimed to reduce lines and wait times at New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices was advanced Monday by an Assembly committee. The bill was sponsored by Assembly Democrats Gordon Johnson, Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Annette Quijano sponsored.

Under current law, driver’s licenses expire every four years on the last day of the calendar month in which the license was issued. Under the bill (A-4115), a motorist’s driver’s license would expire every four years on his or her birthday.

“One of the top concerns among many New Jersey drivers is the long wait for a simple driver’s license renewal at the local MVC office,” said Johnson (D-Bergen). “Shifting the expiration date from the last of the month to an individual’s date of birth will ensure that everybody doesn’t end up at the office all at once.”

“Drivers who want to get their licenses renewed in New Jersey will spend an hour waiting to do something that really only takes a few minutes,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “Changing the deadline to the driver’s birthday is a common-sense solution that most states in the country already have implemented.”

“The last-minute rush at the end of the month is overwhelming for drivers who want to renew their licenses and MVC employees alike,” said Quijano (D-Union). “Staggering renewals throughout each month will yield a better, more efficient experience for everyone involved.”

The committee also released legislation (A-3911), sponsored by Assemblyman John Wisniewski, that would change the motor vehicle registration expiration date to the driver’s birthday. Currently, the expiration date is the last day of the twelfth month after the registration was issued.

“Many New Jersey residents dread going to the MVC office simply because they know they’ll have to spend an entire day waiting around for a routine task like renewing their vehicle registration,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “Just as mail-in and online options available to drivers have made dealing with the MVC a little easier, changing the vehicle registration expiration date is a way to reduce the level of frustration motorists associate with this agency.”

Both measures were advanced by the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, of which Wisniewski is chair and Vainieri Huttle is vice-chair.

[TLS]