SR57 —

SR57 STR1R Statement[First MAYReprint] 10, 2018 SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE   STATEMENT TO   SENATE RESOLUTION No.

57  STATE withOF committeeNEW amendmentsJERSEY 218th LEGISLATURE   STATEINTRODUCED OFFEBRUARY NEW26, JERSEY2018   DATED:  Sponsored by:

 MAYSenator  10,JOSEPH  P.       The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Resolution 57.

     CRYAN AsDistrict amended20 and(Union) reported,Senator  thisNICHOLAS resolutionP. respectfully urges the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to reopen an office in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

 TheSCUTARI CityDistrict of22 Elizabeth(Middlesex, isSomerset theand fourth-largestUnion) municipality  in  New  Jersey,  withSYNOPSIS a     diverseRespectfully populationurges nearingMVC 129,000.to reopen office in City of Elizabeth.

 The  ElizabethCURRENT MVCVERSION officeOF wasTEXT conveniently     locatedAs nearreported aby numberthe ofSenate publicTransportation transitCommittee accesson pointsMay which10, provided2018, easywith accessamendments. for the residents of Elizabeth.

       SinceA theSenate closingResolution ofrespectfully urging the ElizabethNew MVCJersey office,Motor residentsVehicle ofCommission Elizabeth have been forced to travelreopen toits Newarkoffice andin RahwayElizabeth, MVCNew locations,Jersey. which are not as easily accessible for the residents of Elizabeth.

 Due  toWhereas, theThe increase1[city] inCity1 customerof volume,Elizabeth customersis ofthe nearbyfourth-largest MVCmunicipality locationsin haveNew experiencedJersey, significantwith anda inconvenientdiverse waitpopulation times.consisting of almost 129,000 people;

 and     Whereas, The committeeaverage amendments1[medium] makemedian1 technicalhousehold correctionsincome forin grammatical,Elizabeth spelling,is and$43,831, capitalizationalmost errors.$30,000 dollars less than the New Jersey State average of $73,702;

and Whereas, With an average per capita income in Elizabeth of $18,686, almost $20,000 lower than the New Jersey State average of $37,538, 19 percent of Elizabeth residents are living in poverty, almost double the State average;

and Whereas, The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) office in Elizabeth was conveniently located near a number of public transit access points, offering a convenient location for low income Elizabeth residents relying on public transportation;

and Whereas, The Elizabeth MVC office was closed at the end of 2010 forcing those Elizabeth residents that rely on public transportation to travel to the Newark or Rahway MVC offices, which are not as easily accessible for the residents of Elizabeth;

and Whereas, Due to increased volume at other MVC locations, Elizabeth residents have routinely experienced up to four hour wait times at these other locations, increasing the burden caused by the closure of the Elizabeth MVC office;

and Whereas, The 1[president] President1 of the Communications Workers of America Local 1037, which represents roughly 800 MVC employees, opposed the closure of the Elizabeth MVC office, claiming that it would result in diminished services for customers, a prediction that has come to pass;

and Whereas, Due to the burden placed upon residents of Elizabeth, it is appropriate for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to reopen its office in Elizabeth, New Jersey;

now, therefore,        Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

       1.    The Senate of the State of New Jersey respectfully urges the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to reopen its office in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

       2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor and to the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.