A Guide to New 2023 Laws in Pennsylvania, NJ and Delaware

A new year means new laws in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Here’s a state-by-state guide for the new laws now in effect for our region in 2023:

PENNSYLVANIA

Fentanyl Test Strips

Fentanyl test strips are no longer illegal in Pennsylvania. House Bill 1393 amends The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972 to no longer define fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia.   

License Plate Frames

Police in Pennsylvania can no longer pull over a driver for having a license plate frame that obstructs the plate. 

In October of last year, Governor Tom Wolf signed HB 1486 into law which amended Section 1332 of the Vehicle Code that had formerly allowed police to pull a motorist over if his or her license plate was “obscured in any manner.”

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Switchblades 

It’s now legal to own and carry a switchblade in Pennsylvania due to HB 1929. 

Turnpike Toll Collection 

If you have $250 or more in unpaid Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls, you may be at risk of having your vehicle registration suspended. Act 112 of 2022 allows the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to request the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to suspend the vehicle registration of any Pennsylvania motorists with unpaid Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls and fees totaling $250 or more. 

In addition, the Pennsylvania Turnpike will have a 5 percent toll increase starting January 8.

NEW JERSEY 

Higher Auto Insurance

New Jersey increased the minimum amount of liability insurance. 

Bill S481 requires automobile insurance policies to provide certain minimum amounts of liability, uninsured motorist, and underinsured motorist coverage.

Bill S1368 requires business owners and rental unit owners to maintain certain liability insurance policies.

Bill S2843 requires certain insurers to disclose policy limits upon request by an attorney under certain circumstances.

Concealed-Carry Gun Restrictions 

There are new restrictions in New Jersey on how and where you can carry a concealed gun.

Bill A4769 prohibits people from carrying guns in several “sensitive places,” including schools, courthouses and bars. New Jersey residents will also be required to get insurance and take training classes to get a permit. 

Longer Work Hours for Teens

A new bill is allowing teenagers in New Jersey to work longer. 

Bill A4222 expands summer working hours for teens between the ages of 16 and 18 up to 50 hours per week during the summer. The bill also expands working hours for teens between the ages of 14 and 15 to mirror federal laws for working minors. 

The bill also removes authority from school districts to issue working papers and removes parental consent for a minor to work while requiring the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide parents with an opt-out for extended summer working hours for the minor. The bill also increases the amount of time a minor may work before a break is required from five hours to six hours. 

Voter Privacy 

Polling stations in New Jersey must now have privacy sleeves for printed ballots.

Bill A3817 also makes several changes to in-person, early voting and vote by mail procedures in New Jersey, including requiring that early and vote by mail votes in the state be reported in the election district where the voter resides.

Firearm Registration 

Bill S1204 requires firearm owners who become New Jersey residents to obtain a firearm purchaser identification card and register handguns acquired out-of-state.

Ammunition Tracker

Bill A1302 regulates the sale of handgun ammunition and develops a system of electronic reporting of handgun ammunition sales.

Faster Unemployment Payments

Bill S2357 allows out-of-work New Jersey residents to get unemployment benefits more quickly. 

DELAWARE

Minimum Wage Increase

Delaware’s minimum hourly wage rose to $11.75 this year. It will continue to increase to $13.25 in 2024 and $15.00 in 2025. 

Cash Bail Reform 

House Bill 204 makes several changes to the bail/pretrial process in Delaware, including requiring courts to consider risk by “using empirically-based tools to determine whether a defendant is likely to stay out of trouble and come to court.”