Assembly Committee Clears Benson, McKnight & Vainieri Huttle Bill to Provide Accommodations for People with Disabilities During MVC Written Exams

(TRENTON) – The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) would be required to provide all reasonable accommodations to a person with a disability when they take a written exam or knowledge test needed to receive a driver’s license or permit under legislation (A-5193) approved Wednesday by the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.

Currently, the MVC is not required to provide accommodations for people with disabilities when taking exams.

The measure’s sponsors, Assembly Democrats Daniel Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex), chair of the Transportation Committee, Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) and Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) released the following joint statement:

“A person with disabilities may request simple accommodations such as a wheelchair accessible testing station, a distraction-free room, or extended time to take the test when applying for their driver’s license. Sadly, we’ve heard reports from customers of some MVC agencies refusing these reasonable requests, and there’s nothing in our current State law that prevents the MVC from doing so.

“This bill will make the driver’s license testing process more equitable by ensuring people with disabilities are fairly accommodated.”