Bill Text: NY A08461 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

---

Bill Title: Creates a series of distinctive license plates for law enforcement officers who were wounded in the line of duty or the spouse of such, which shall bear the words "Wounded in the Line of Duty"; includes the New York state sheriff's association, New York state association of chiefs of police, police benevolent association of the New York state troopers, the New York state police benevolent association, and the New York city police benevolent association; provides that proceeds from the service charge shall be used for a fund to assist wounded/fallen officers and their families.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-07-17 - print number 8461b [A08461 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A08461-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8461

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    December 29, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. GALLAHAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Transportation

        AN  ACT  to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to creating a
          series of distinctive license plates for law enforcement officers  who
          were wounded in the line of duty

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

     1    SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
     2    Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     3  section 404-ff to read as follows:
     4    §  404-ff. Distinctive plates for New York state law enforcement offi-
     5  cers who were injured in the line of duty.    1.  Any  officer  who  was
     6  wounded  in  the  line  of duty or the spouse of any such officer shall,
     7  upon request, be issued a license plate containing the seal  of  one  of
     8  the  following  five  police  associations: (a) New York state sheriff's
     9  association; (b) New York state association of  chiefs  of  police;  (c)
    10  police  benevolent  association  of the New York state troopers; (d) the
    11  New York state police benevolent association; and (e) the New York  city
    12  police  benevolent  association.  Any  plate issued pursuant to this act
    13  shall bear the words "Wounded in the Line of Duty". For the purposes  of
    14  this section:
    15    i. "Wounded in the line of duty" shall be defined as a law enforcement
    16  officer  who  has sustained personal injury, in the intelligent perform-
    17  ance of duty, inflicted by an assailant  with  a  dangerous  and  deadly
    18  weapon.
    19    ii.  Eligibility  shall be verified by the department who employed the
    20  officer at the time of injury and shall be reviewed by the department.
    21    iii. If a distinctive plate is issued to  a  law  enforcement  officer
    22  pursuant  to  this section, such a distinctive plate shall not be issued
    23  to the spouse of such officer.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13807-01-3
        A. 8461                             2

     1    iv. The application for such license plate shall  be  filed  with  the
     2  commissioner in such form and detail as prescribed by the commissioner.
     3    2.  The  distinctive  plate  authorized  under subdivision one of this
     4  section shall be issued upon proof, satisfactory  to  the  commissioner,
     5  that  the  applicant or the spouse of the applicant is a law enforcement
     6  officer who was wounded in the line of duty.
     7    3.  (a) A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section  shall  be
     8  issued in the same manner as other number plates under this article upon
     9  the  payment of the required registration fee prescribed by section four
    10  hundred one of this article; provided, however, that an additional annu-
    11  al service charge of twenty-five  dollars  shall  be  charged  for  such
    12  plates.    Such annual service charge shall be deposited pursuant to the
    13  provisions of section four hundred four-oo of this article, to the cred-
    14  it of the department of motor  vehicles  distinctive  plate  development
    15  fund established by section ninety-five-g of the state finance law.
    16    (b) Moneys from such deposit shall be used for the production, design,
    17  advertising,  and  marketing  of  distinctive license plates pursuant to
    18  section ninety-five-g of the state finance law; provided, however,  that
    19  annual  service  charges  collected in excess of six thousand dollars be
    20  deposited to the "wounded officers support fund" or  "the  fund"  estab-
    21  lished by section ninety-seven-zzzz of the state finance law.
    22    (c)  Moneys  from the fund will be directed for purposes deemed appro-
    23  priate by the five law enforcement associations as long as the funds are
    24  used for the purpose of assisting  wounded  or  fallen  law  enforcement
    25  officers and their families.
    26    §  2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-zzzz
    27  to read as follows:
    28    § 97-zzzz. Wounded officers support fund.  1. There is  hereby  estab-
    29  lished  in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance
    30  and the comptroller, a special  fund  known  as  the  "wounded  officers
    31  support fund" or "the fund".
    32    2.  Such  fund  shall consist of all revenues received pursuant to the
    33  provisions of section four hundred four-ff of the  vehicle  and  traffic
    34  law and other moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from
    35  any other fund or source pursuant to law.
    36    3.  Nothing  contained  in  this  section shall prevent the state from
    37  receiving grants, gifts, or bequests for the purposes  of  the  fund  as
    38  defined  in  this section and depositing them into the fund according to
    39  the law.
    40    4. Moneys of the fund shall  be  expended  for  the  sole  purpose  of
    41  supporting  wounded law enforcement officers and their families, as well
    42  as the families of fallen law enforcement officers. This includes but is
    43  not limited to providing: medical treatments, mental health  counseling,
    44  home  accessibility improvements, service animals, transportation needs,
    45  and funeral services.
    46    5. Moneys of the fund shall be used solely for  the  wounded  officers
    47  support fund and may not be diverted into any general fund.
    48    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    49  it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    50  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    51  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    52  completed on or before such effective date.