SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The New Jersey Senate voted nearly unanimously in favor of a bill that would reimpose fines for minors caught in possession of alcohol — rolling back a previous law.
Proponents of the bill say too many teens have flouted the law, acting like they can behave without consequences. Many shore towns experienced increased “unruly” crowds — mostly made up of minors — this past summer, leading them to tighten restrictions and curfews.
Meanwhile, the ACLU is calling for the governor to veto the bill. Ami Kachalia with the ACLU of New Jersey said reimposing fines won’t improve public safety. Instead, it would have a disproportionate impact on Black and brown kids.
“While a $50 fine may be possible for some families across New Jersey to handle, for many more, it will cause serious concern,” she said. “Fifty dollars can be a grocery bill, buying gas, it could be an electricity bill.”
The ACLU is urging Gov. Phil Murphy to veto the bill despite it passing both chambers in Trenton, with just one vote opposed. Kachalia said it is the right thing to do.
“Criminalizing young people and imposing fines on them and on their families is not the way forward in this issue,” she argued.
“A contention that young people are engaging in rowdy behavior at the shore and that this bill is necessary in order to address that issue, but law enforcement have had long-standing tools in place to address disruptive behavior, whether its people running on the boardwalk or causing other disturbances, noise complaints. There are tools in place already to address those issues.”
There’s no word on what the governor plans to do when the bill reaches his desk.