New Jersey lawmakers have introduced legislation that would change how toll violations are handled, including limiting some administrative fees and requiring drivers to be notified sooner.

The bill, A5549, sponsored by Assemblymen Kenyatta Stewart and Ed Rodriguez, would require the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and South Jersey Transportation Authority to send vehicle owners an advisory and payment request within 21 days of a toll violation, rather than the current 60-day period.

The notice would include information about the alleged violation, the toll and administrative fee owed and instructions for resolving the issue before a summons is sent.

Under the legislation, the administrative fee for a toll of less than $10 could not exceed $15. Fees for tolls of $10 or more would be determined using a proportional sliding scale established by the applicable toll authority.

"Drivers should not face excessive administrative charges for what may be a simple toll payment issue, particularly when the problem may have resulted from a system error or circumstances outside of their control," Stewart said.

The bill would also prohibit violation notices and administrative fees when a vehicle is linked to an existing electronic toll account with a valid payment method and accurate license plate information. The same protections would apply when a failure to pay resulted from a system or billing error, equipment failure or transponder malfunction outside the vehicle owner's control.

"People should not be penalized for problems they did not cause," Rodriguez said. "This bill cuts through unnecessary red tape and administrative fees, while also building more trust between drivers and the electronic toll systems they rely on every day."

The legislation would also require future electronic toll collection contracts to give account holders the option to receive toll violation notifications by text message and opt out of those notifications.