The Senate Transportation Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) and Senator Anthony Bucco (R-25) that would expand upon the documentation accepted by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) as part of its 6 Point ID Verification program to include EMT and paramedic certification cards. The measure advanced in a 5-0 vote.

“Our state’s digital driver’s license and 6 Point ID Verification program are designed to stop fraud and make it harder for criminals and terrorists to act under assumed identities,” said Pennacchio. “Our legislation allows us to maintain those strict security standards while improving the NJMVC customer experience for tens of thousands of EMTs and paramedics who carry State issued certification cards.”

Under the legislation, S-2934, a valid emergency medical technician or paramedic certification card issued by the New Jersey Department of Health shall count for two points under the Secondary ID requirement of the NJMVC’s 6 Point ID Verification program.

The 6 Point ID Verification program is designed to help prevent identity theft by ensuring that driver licenses are only issued with proper legal documents and verification.

The verification program is part of New Jersey’s effort to comply with the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act, which allows for New Jersey driver’s licenses to be accepted as valid identification for the purposes of entering federal facilities and boarding commercial aircraft.

“New Jersey’s ID Verification program is designed to save lives, which is exactly what we trust our certified EMTs and paramedics to do,” added Bucco. “The last thing we need is for these trusted individuals to waste time at the NJMVC counter trying to meet the six-point requirement when they have another State issued card in their wallet that can help.”

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, there are more than 26,000 emergency medical technicians and 1,700 mobile intensive care paramedics licensed by the department’s Office of Emergency Medical Services.