S 601 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires information be provided regarding types of US Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices under certain circumstances.*

S 601, "Dylan's Law," requires vessel owners in New Jersey to receive specific information about U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) when applying for vessel numbers. It mandates that the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission include details on required and recommended PFD types in vessel application forms, and that approved boat safety courses must cover this information as part of their curriculum. The law directly affects vessel owners seeking registration and boat safety course providers. Key mechanisms include adding PFD requirements to application forms and course content standards, ensuring boaters understand proper safety equipment usage under state and federal rules.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

General Assembly Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Reprint · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill moved from Introduced to First Reprint after passing the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on February 19, 2026. The most notable substantive change is the removal of the 'Dylan's Law' designation from both the synopsis and the formal act title, along with the deletion of the entire STATEMENT section that provided background context including the story of Dylan Geller's death. Additional co-sponsors (Greenstein, Diegnan, and Amato) were added.

SCOPE

The designation 'Dylan's Law' was removed from the formal act title and from the synopsis. The bill is no longer formally named after Dylan Geller.

TECHNICAL

The entire STATEMENT section was deleted. This section had provided explanatory background on what the bill requires, the five US Coast Guard types of personal flotation devices, and the story of Dylan Geller's death on July 27, 2025 while wearing a Type III life jacket.

Three additional co-sponsors were added: Senators Greenstein, Diegnan, and Amato, indicating broader legislative support.

TIMELINE

The bill's status changed from 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel' to 'As reported by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on February 19, 2026, with amendments,' confirming committee passage.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by the Senate (38-0)

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee

upper

2 primary · 4 co-sponsors