When you go to a New Jersey shore community for summer vacation, such as Wildwood, Cape May, Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant and need to gas up, it is kind of neat to have a human being (other than yourself) pump the gas for you. Better yet, you are not charged a premium for this disappearing service.

Not too many years ago, service stations in Pennsylvania gave motorists the option to pump their own gas or have an employee do it (at a higher cost). I haven’t seen one of these stations in a long time. Quite frankly, I find the name “service” station to be deceiving. I get no service from these places.

In New Jersey, however, not only do some service stations have employees pump your gas, but they often clean your windshield, too. Just like the good old days when you pulled into a station, received a cheery greeting, had your windshield wiped clean and your oil checked. Of course, with the modern automotive advances, checking one’s oil is a once-in-a-blue-moon event.

New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states in the nation which do not allow motorists to pump their own gas. Take note, however, that the uniqueness of New Jersey’s service stations may disappear, because, once again, legislation has been proposed to allow self-service. Oregon is considering similar legislation.

Don’t fret just yet, however, because there have been multiple attempts in the past, and all of them failed.

New Jersey’s bill, called the “Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act,” was introduced late last month by three Republican Assembly members and included Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho, R-Warren and Sussex. (In New Jersey, an Assembly member is equivalent to a state representative in Pennsylvania.) Unlike Pennsylvania, the state Legislature is controlled by Democrats, and Gov. Phil Murphy is a Democrat. Murphy has not indicated whether he would approve the legislation if and when it reaches his desk.

If passed, motorists would have the option to pump their own gas or have a service station employee do it. The bill would allow gas station owners to offer one or the other or a combination of the two. The legislation has a provision allowing stations to discount the price of a gallon to those who pump their own gas.

The legislation also has a special provision requiring stations to have a “calling device” in the event a person with disabilities requires assistance.

One of the major factors that resulted in the failure of similar bills involved employment opportunities for part-time people who were needed to pump gas. Legislators were concerned that their action could cost thousands of their constituents their jobs. This argument may not be as persuasive this time around because the job market situation has shifted dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020.

Some commuter friends who drive daily to jobs in northern New Jersey tell me that they often find many gas-dispensing pumps cordoned off by orange cones because there are not enough employees to staff all of them. In addition, according to the sponsoring legislators, many New Jersey gas stations have had to curtail hours or close completely because they cannot find enough employees to maintain the hours of operation needed to serve the motoring public.

In addition, as is the case in the rest of the country, we are moving toward an expanded electric vehicle market with the addition of thousands of charging stations. This point was made loud and clear during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1.

One of the sponsoring legislators also made this compelling point: “Motorists in every other state are able to pump their own gas, and if a consumer wants to choose to not wait for an attendant, that choice should not be denied to them by state law.”

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.