Politics & Government

Bill Allowing Free Beach Access for Military Families Signed Into Law

Christie signs bill amending beach tag law, but local communities must give their own OKs.

With local permission, members of the military and their spouses and children may now access New Jersey beaches for free or at a reduced price.

Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday signed into law a bill sponsored by a group of Ocean County legislators that amends a state law on the books since 1955 that allows municipalities to except certain groups of people from having to pay to access beaches.

Previously, the state law allowed individual towns to let persons older than 65 or younger than 12, and those with certain disabilities, to receive beach badge discounts or free access to paid beaches. But many coastal municipalities from Sandy Hook to Cape May also sought to allow members of the armed forces and their families a similar exception.

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The amendment, sponsored by state Sen. Chris Connors and Assembly members Brian Rumpf and DiAne Gove (R-Ocean, Atlantic), puts to bed a years-long effort to amend state law for good to allow the extra exception. In many cases, coastal municipalities authorized their own ordinances allowing discounts or free access to military families despite the lack of such an exception being permissible under state law. Other municipalities held off on allowing such discounts, however.

“This is to protect those who are already doing it, so they have a statute to lean on,” Connors said. “We want to make sure it’s in place so they could do so freely.”

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Connors said he and the other 9th District legislators were pleased Christie signed the bill just in time for summer.

“One of the things we asked for when it passed both houses was that (Christie) consider it as quickly as he possibly could to give municipalities the opportunity to adjust their ordinances,” he said.

Active members of the military and New Jersey National Guard personnel, as well as their spouses and children older than 12, are covered under the new provision. Each municipality must adopt its own ordinance before discounts or free beach access can be granted locally.


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