TRENTON — Democrats and Republicans on the Assembly Judiciary Committee have found common ground on a bill decriminalizing possession of as much as a half-ounce of marijuana, voting unanimously Monday to forward it to the full chamber.

The committee’s five Democrats and two Republicans heard almost uniformly supportive testimony for about an hour before the vote.

If passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, the measure would downgrade possession of as much as 35 marijuana cigarettes and drug paraphernalia, making both civil offenses punishable by fines of $100 to $500. Offenders who are under 18 and those with multiple infractions would be referred for drug counseling.

“The time has come to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana,” Assemblyman Peter Barnes III, chairman of the committee and a Democratic sponsor of the legislation, said during the hearing.

The bill has the backing of 15 Democratic and three Republican co-sponsors.

Christie’s office said the governor had not taken a position on the legislation.