A bill that would require all electric bikes in New Jersey to be registered and insured moved closer to a vote in the state Assembly on Thursday, despite pleas by opponents to stop it.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to send an amended version of bill A6235 to the full Assembly.

The bill was approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Dec. 11, the same day it was introduced.

Currently, New Jersey has three classifications of e-bikes. The more powerful and faster class III e-bikes are already regulated like mopeds, requiring a license, registration and insurance.

The state Assembly and Senate bills would eliminate all e-bike classifications. Instead, they would redefine ‘motorized bicycle’ to include any pedal bicycle with an electric motor that assists pedaling or can exclusively propel the bike via throttle.

If signed into law, owners of e-bikes already classified as motorized bicycles would have one year to meet licensing, registration and insurance requirements.

“This is a bad bill, it doesn’t solve a problem, it confuses the problem,” said Paul Mickiewicz, New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition president.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission regulates e-bikes in the same way New Jersey currently does, identifying Class I and II e-bikes limited to a top speed of 20 mph as bicycles, he said.

“If it goes more than 20 mph, it’s not a bike and we don’t object to regulating them,” he said.

But the bill could leave auto insurance customers footing the bill for injuries to uninsured e-bike riders.

An amendment to the bill redefines pedestrian to include e-bikes, which makes low-speed e-bike users eligible for personal injury protection (PIP) under state auto insurance regulations, said Gary La Spisa, New Jersey Insurance Council vice president.

“That means if you have auto insurance and are using one of these devices and you’re injured, you’ll go through your auto insurance policy for your injuries,” he said. “If you don’t have auto insurance, every other auto insurance customer will be on the hook for your injuries.”

The council supports the overall intent of the legislation except for this change, he said.

“We think it’s wrong at this time to overturn that precedent,” he said, calling on the committee to delete that section of the bill or put it aside.

Other objectors questioned how a new law would be enforced and said more bike infrastructure is a better solution.

“There are countless unenforced laws on the books,” said Jack McKee of Jersey City, an organizer for Hudson County Complete Streets. “The bill adds a barrier to mobility, shelve it until the next legislative session.”

Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy, D-Mercer, who said she has an e-bike and voted no, raised questions about the bill and its intent to improve safety.

“I haven’t heard the data as far as accidents are concerned, that data has not been presented,” she said. “I hope the sponsor provides that information. I haven’t heard anything positive in regards to this bill.“

A companion bill in the state Senate, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari, D-Union was amended on Dec. 22 and has been approved by two Senate committees.

The bill would have to be approved by the state Assembly and Senate and sent to the governor for his signature.

E-bike crashes and fatalities in the state have led to calls for more regulation and safety requirements.

Under the proposed bill, current low-power e-bike owners would have a grace period to comply if the legislation passes both the Senate and Assembly and is signed into law by the governor.