Bill Text: NY A01316 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Establishes the stretch limousine passenger safety task force to conduct a comprehensive review of matters influencing the safety, adequacy, efficiency, and reliability of stretch limousine transportation of passengers for compensation.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 27-5)

Status: (Passed) 2020-02-03 - signed chap.3 [A01316 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01316-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1316--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. PAULIN, SANTABARBARA, FAHY, McDONALD, THIELE,
          ARROYO, GALEF, D'URSO, BLAKE,  GOTTFRIED,  COOK,  GRIFFIN,  McDONOUGH,
          LAWRENCE  -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. DeSTEFANO -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Transportation --  committee  discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee

        AN ACT to establish the  passenger  safety  task  force  on  safety  for
          passengers transported by stretch limousines

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Passenger safety task force. 1. The passenger  safety  task
     2  force is hereby established, and shall consist of twenty members includ-
     3  ing  two  co-chairs who will share joint responsibility for carrying out
     4  its charge. The chairs shall be the commissioner of the New York depart-
     5  ment of motor vehicles, or his or her designee, and the commissioner  of
     6  the  New  York department of transportation, or his or her designee. The
     7  additional eighteen members shall include:
     8    a. eleven representatives, each of whom shall be an owner  or  commer-
     9  cial  operator  of  stretch  limousines from each of the eleven New York
    10  department of transportation regions;
    11    b. the superintendent of the New York state  police,  or  his  or  her
    12  designee;
    13    c.  two members who shall be appointed by the governor, one of whom is
    14  a community safety advocate;
    15    d. two members who shall be appointed by the  temporary  president  of
    16  the senate, one of whom is a community safety advocate; and
    17    e.  two members who shall by appointed by the speaker of the assembly,
    18  one of whom is a community safety advocate.
    19    2. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.
    20    3. The task force shall undertake a review of the actions and measures
    21  that are needed to ensure safe, adequate, efficient and reliable passen-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01679-02-9
        A. 1316--A                          2

     1  ger transportation by stretch limousine and shall issue a  final  report
     2  and make recommendations regarding:
     3    a.  the  promotion of enhanced coordination and uniformity between the
     4  New York department of motor vehicles and the  New  York  department  of
     5  transportation regarding the regulation of stretch limousines, including
     6  an  examination into how the department of transportation and department
     7  of motor vehicles can share necessary  information,  including  but  not
     8  limited   to   inspection   status  and  relevant  traffic  or  criminal
     9  convictions, in real time;
    10    b. the establishment and adoption of a uniform safety training program
    11  for drivers. Such program should include a component which  shall  train
    12  drivers  to  conduct  a safety demonstration with passengers instructing
    13  them on the use of seatbelts and any other relevant safety measures that
    14  may be deemed useful;
    15    c. the appropriateness of extending federal regulations that currently
    16  apply to bus drivers to stretch limousines, including, but  not  limited
    17  to  extending the requirement for alcohol and drug testing to drivers of
    18  vehicles with ten occupants or more;
    19    d. establishing a limit  on  the  maximum  allowable  time  frame  for
    20  stretch limousines to be permitted to operate on state roadways, includ-
    21  ing a possible limit of ten years or 350,000 miles;
    22    e.  the  need for additional safety measures, including traffic safety
    23  measures such as prohibiting drivers from making U-turns or the  use  of
    24  hands-free  devices  while operating a stretch limousine except in cases
    25  of emergency or for purposes of dispatch,  and  requiring  that  certain
    26  safety features be installed in these vehicles, including but not limit-
    27  ed  to  requiring  multiple  anti-intrusion  bars in side panels, carbon
    28  monoxide monitors, and rear view cameras, airbags, speed restriction  or
    29  governing  devices to limit top vehicle speeds, New York state owned and
    30  operated inspection  stations  solely  for  stretch  limousines,  random
    31  on-site stretch limousine inspections, appropriate notice or signage for
    32  customers,  and  the  feasibility and necessity of having New York state
    33  run crash testing for stretch limousines; and
    34    f. increasing the minimum age for drivers to obtain a license to oper-
    35  ate stretch limousines.
    36    4. The task force shall convene at least one public forum in the state
    37  for purposes of soliciting public commentary on stretch limousine  safe-
    38  ty.  The task force shall, within six months of convening, issue a final
    39  report and recommendations to the governor, the temporary  president  of
    40  the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
    41    5.  For  the  purposes of this act, "stretch limousine" shall mean any
    42  for hire vehicle with a chassis which was manufactured and then  altered
    43  for  the  purpose  of transporting nine or more occupants, including the
    44  driver.
    45    6. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the task force may  request
    46  and  shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau, commis-
    47  sion or other agency of the state or any  state  public  authority  such
    48  assistance,  information  and  data as will enable the board properly to
    49  carry out its powers and duties hereunder. Provided, however, that noth-
    50  ing set forth in this section shall be construed to impede, infringe  or
    51  diminish  the rights and benefits that accrue to employees and employers
    52  through collective bargaining agreements, or impact or change an employ-
    53  ee's membership in a bargaining unit.
    54    § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    55  have become a law.