Bill Text: NY S04522 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides recourse for a person whose vehicle was wrongfully towed in a city with a population of one million or more against the parking violations bureau in such city or the responsible agent of such bureau by granting such person the right to appear before a panel of administrative law judges which shall be empowered to order the correction of records, the refund of any fee paid to release the wrongfully towed vehicle and the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, including lost wages; defines the term "wrongful tow."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-12-28 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S04522 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S04522-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4522 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 14, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to wrongful towing The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 241-a of the 2 vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 338 of the laws of 1987, is 3 amended to read as follows: 4 (a) Every city with a population of more than one million inhabitants 5 that has established a parking violations bureau shall establish, within 6 such bureau, a properly staffed complaint unit of public service repre- 7 sentatives to respond to complaints from any person who, after having 8 satisfied, by payment, adjudication, or administrative action, any fine 9 or penalty for a parking violation or after having proven that a fine or 10 penalty was wrongfully imposed on this person, receives a demand for 11 payment of the fine or penalty previously satisfied or wrongfully 12 imposed, [or] is denied any registration or renewal application by the 13 department of motor vehicles upon a certification from such parking 14 violations bureau based upon lack of payment of any fine or penalty 15 previously satisfied or wrongfully imposed or whose vehicle has been 16 wrongfully towed as such term is defined by section two hundred forty- 17 one-c of this article. The complaint unit established under this 18 section shall accept complaints either in person or by certified mail, 19 return receipt requested. Each written demand for payment, other than 20 the first demand following issuance of the notice of violation, shall 21 advise the addressee of the existence of the complaint unit and the 22 procedure for submitting a complaint. Upon receipt of a complaint, if in 23 person, or within ten work days after receipt of a complaint if by mail, 24 the complaint unit shall acknowledge receipt in writing and notify the 25 complainant of the procedure for further review. The complaint unit EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02050-01-9S. 4522 2 1 shall, within thirty days after receiving a complaint in person or by 2 certified mail supported by the proof prescribed by this section, notify 3 the complainant that the payment has been credited to his or her record; 4 that the wrongful imposition has been removed from the complainant's 5 record; or that the information sent to the bureau fails to prove that 6 the fine or penalty was satisfied or that the imposition was wrongful, 7 in which case the reason or reasons shall be set forth. 8 § 2. Subdivision 4 of section 241-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as 9 amended by chapter 339 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as 10 follows: 11 4. The proof that must be submitted in connection with a complaint 12 made under this section is, as appropriate, a copy of the receipt, money 13 order or front and back of cancelled check; a copy of a police report of 14 stolen vehicle or stolen or lost plates or proof of an insurance company 15 payment for a stolen vehicle, [or] a department of motor vehicles 16 receipt for surrendered plates or a copy of a decision by an administra- 17 tive law judge. As used in this section, a "wrongfully imposed" fine or 18 penalty shall mean a fine or penalty which is imposed after the respec- 19 tive vehicle has been stolen or after the license plates were stolen, 20 lost or surrendered to the department of motor vehicles. 21 § 3. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 22 241-c to read as follows: 23 § 241-c. Wrongful towing. 1. For purposes of this section, wrongful 24 towing shall mean the towing of a person's vehicle: (a) for a fine or 25 penalty for a parking violation previously satisfied or wrongfully 26 imposed as defined in section two hundred forty-one-a of this article; 27 (b) for a parking violation which the person is in the process of 28 contesting with the parking violations bureau; (c) for inaccurately 29 being deemed a scofflaw; (d) for illegal parking when the vehicle was 30 legally parked at the time of the tow; or (e) for the operation of an 31 unlicensed, uninsured or unregistered vehicle when such vehicle was 32 properly licensed, insured or registered at the time of the tow. 33 2. Where a person's vehicle is wrongfully towed, such person shall 34 have the right to have an expedited review before a panel of three 35 administrative law judges as provided in paragraph (b) of subdivision 36 one of section two hundred forty-one-a of this article. Such panel shall 37 be empowered to compel the bureau or other responsible agent to produce 38 records and other evidence relevant and material to the complainant. The 39 complainant or person shall be required to submit proof with a complaint 40 made under this section. Such proof shall consist of, as is appropriate, 41 a copy of the receipt, money order, or front and back of a cancelled 42 check; a copy of a decision by an administrative law judge, a copy of a 43 police report of stolen vehicle or plates or proof of an insurance 44 company payment for a stolen vehicle, or a department of motor vehicles 45 receipt for surrendered plates or a copy of a current registration, 46 license or proof of insurance. 47 3. The panel of administrative law judges shall be empowered to direct 48 that the bureau's and/or other responsible agent's records be changed, 49 as appropriate, to ensure that no further demand is made for the fine or 50 penalty previously satisfied or wrongfully imposed and/or that no 51 further wrongful towing action is taken against the vehicle for the same 52 reason as the first wrongful tow and the bureau and any other responsi- 53 ble agent shall comply with such directive. Further, the panel of admin- 54 istrative law judges, upon petition by the complainant or person, may at 55 its sole discretion, direct the parking violations bureau or other 56 responsible agent to refund any money paid to release the wrongfullyS. 4522 3 1 towed vehicle and to pay the complainant whose vehicle was wrongfully 2 towed such out-of-pocket expenses, not to exceed one hundred fifty 3 dollars, as the panel deems reasonable only in such cases where the 4 complainant or person sufficiently demonstrates that his or her vehicle 5 was wrongfully towed. Such out-of-pocket expenses shall include, but not 6 be limited to, lost wages, provided the complainant or person submits 7 proof, satisfactory to the panel of such expenses incurred. The payment 8 of any refund by the parking violations bureau or other responsible 9 agent shall be made within thirty days of the date the panel so 10 directed. After filing of a petition by the complainant or person and 11 subsequent finding by the panel that payment was not timely made, such 12 payment shall be doubled. 13 4. If the person's vehicle is wrongfully towed a second or subsequent 14 time for the same reason as the first wrongful tow then such person has 15 the right to request and the panel is authorized to direct the parking 16 violations bureau or the responsible agent to refund any money paid to 17 release the wrongfully towed vehicle and to pay the complainant or 18 person double the amount of his or her out-of-pocket expenses. 19 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 20 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
