Grant critiques 60-day deadline and broad processing-device definition
Grant says DEP is already far beyond 60 days and that the bill could toss out a year of complaints. He also warns that broadening processing devices to electrical equipment could let almost any engine use qualify.
Thank you.
Good afternoon, all.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on intros 561A11 and general oversight.
My name is Grant, and I'm a citizen complainant.
A few of the specific concerns.
One is around the 60 days, which I think has been brought up before, but DP is currently well beyond the 60-day timeline and is almost up to a year.
And so I think the bill as written currently could be construed to wind up throwing out a bunch of complaints from the past year or more.
I think that the goal, as has been discussed in the hearing previously, of speeding up processing and issuing notices of violation in a more timely manner is noble and is well-intentioned, but that
forcing a timeline on DEP, enforcing them to toss complaints if that timeline is not hit, I think would need some type of...
continuity, like how do we get from our current backlog to that steady state.
One other comment I'll provide is around the definition of the processing device, which has gotten a lot of discussion around
certain vehicles needing to run the engine as to dispense fuel or compact or whatnot,
which is that the definition as is written right now is fairly expansive and contemplates these various
situations where if the vehicle is using a mechanical connection to perform work that is allowed and I think Oath and Oath Appeals has considered these situations.
I think one concern around broadening the definition to include electrical equipment that's necessary for work is
that it's very broad and could be almost anything.
Like if someone is charging their phone to get a text from their boss, well, their boss is a necessary part of their work.
Their phone's a necessary part of their work.
So I think you could see complaints or summonses dismissed for that reason, which I think is probably not intended.
Just finish your thought.
I think that's it.
I think that's probably not what the committee is intending to do is, you know, allow Eileen to charge people's phones.