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TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner today welcomed the roll out of a new payment incentive program by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), a measure she sponsored in the Senate that is designed to help cash-strapped residents get back behind the wheel legally and find work while also helping the state recoup outstanding revenue.

“Many New Jerseyans with suspended licenses are caught in a Catch-22,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “If they don’t have the money to pay off excessive motor vehicle surcharges, they can’t restore their licenses, which strips many of the means to get to and from work in order to earn money to pay off these surcharges. Rather than trap these people in an endless cycle of joblessness and ever-increasing surcharges, this program cuts drivers a break, and will hopefully deliver a much-needed cash infusion to our desperate state coffers.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner which would establish a 60-day grace period for drivers with outstanding motor vehicle surcharges to pay those surcharges without facing interest or collection costs was approved by the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee yesterday by a vote of 10-1.

“Many New Jerseyans with suspended licenses are caught in a vicious circle,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “They don’t have the money to pay off exorbitant motor vehicle surcharges in order to restore their licenses, and they can’t hold a job to make money to pay off their surcharges because they don’t have a reliable mode of transportation. Rather than trap New Jersey’s least fortunate citizens in an endless cycle of joblessness and ever-increasing surcharges, this bill cuts drivers a break, and will hopefully deliver a much-needed cash infusion to our very desperate State coffers.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner which would establish a 60-day grace period for drivers with outstanding motor vehicle surcharges to pay those surcharges without facing interest or collection costs was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 39-0.

“At a time of global economic crisis, many drivers in the lowest income brackets simply cannot afford the death by a thousand cuts created by the fee and penalty scheme surrounding motor vehicle surcharges,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “Unless we provide some sort of relief for these individuals, they will never dig themselves out of their debt to the State Motor Vehicle Commission. By creating an amnesty period from interest and collection fees associated with motor vehicle surcharges, we can give penalized drivers an option to wipe the slate clean, and raise needed funds for the State.”