A New Jersey assemblywoman has introduced a bill to reduce the number of passenger vehicles owned by the State of New Jersey fleet by 20% over the course of three years. Assemblywoman Donna Simon’s bill also calls for the implementation of a fleet management system, a review of take-home vehicles, and a mandate that user departments submit annual usage reports.
The purpose of the A3844, which was introduced Oct. 23, is to “reduce misuse, abuse, and unnecessary use of state vehicles,” according to the bill.
The plan for fleet reduction calls for the state treasurer to reduce the fleet by 5% in the first year after the bill is enacted, 10% in the second year, and 5% in the third year. Any requests for additional vehicles that aren’t replacement vehicles would need to be reviewed by the state treasurer.
Any employee who needs a take-home vehicle must submit a written request to the state treasurer every year.
The bill also calls for the treasurer to implement an electronic fleet management system that includes a cost-efficiency calculator and a route-efficiency calculator for motor pool vehicles. The system should have the capacity to determine whether a fleet vehicle, rental vehicle, or personal vehicle is the most cost-effective method of travel.
Finally, the bill would require each user agency or department to submit annual vehicle usage reports to the governor, legislature, and public. These would be used to compare use trends across various years.
The state’s estimated vehicle count is 14,700, and the bill would not include police, law, and public safety vehicles, according to Politicker NJ.
