Bill Text: NY S06359 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Makes comprehensive motor vehicle insurance reparations (no-fault insurance) applicable to motorcycles.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-04 - PRINT NUMBER 6359A [S06359 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-S06359-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 6359--A I N S E N A T E February 1, 2012 ___________ Introduced by Sens. LANZA, AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance -- commit- tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom- mitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to making comprehensive motor vehicle insurance reparations applicable to motorcycles THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subsection (f) of section 5102 of the insurance law is 2 amended to read as follows: 3 (f) "Motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined in section three 4 hundred eleven of the vehicle and traffic law and also includes fire and 5 police vehicles, AND MOTORCYCLES. It shall not include any motor vehi- 6 cle not required to carry financial security pursuant to article six, 7 eight or forty-eight-A of the vehicle and traffic law [or a motorcycle, 8 as defined in subsection (m) hereof]. 9 S 2. Subsections (a) and (f) of section 5103 of the insurance law, 10 subsection (f) as amended by chapter 402 of the laws of 1986, are 11 amended to read as follows: 12 (a) Every owner's policy of liability insurance issued on a motor 13 vehicle in satisfaction of the requirements of article six or eight of 14 the vehicle and traffic law shall also provide for; every owner who 15 maintains another form of financial security on a motor vehicle in 16 satisfaction of the requirements of such articles shall be liable for; 17 and every owner of a motor vehicle required to be subject to the 18 provisions of this article by subdivision two of section three hundred 19 twenty-one of the vehicle and traffic law shall be liable for; the 20 payment of first party benefits to: 21 (1) Persons, other than occupants of another motor vehicle [or a 22 motorcycle], for loss arising out of the use or operation in this state 23 of such motor vehicle. In the case of occupants of a bus other than 24 operators, owners, and employees of the owner or operator of the bus, 25 the coverage for first party benefits shall be afforded under the policy 26 or policies, if any, providing first party benefits to the injured EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14097-02-2 S. 6359--A 2 1 person and members of his OR HER household for loss arising out of the 2 use or operation of any motor vehicle of such household. In the event 3 there is no such policy, first party benefits shall be provided by the 4 insurer of such bus. 5 (2) The named insured and members of his OR HER household[, other than 6 occupants of a motorcycle,] for loss arising out of the use or operation 7 of (i) an uninsured motor vehicle [or motorcycle], within the United 8 States, its territories or possessions, or Canada; and (ii) an insured 9 motor vehicle [or motorcycle] outside of this state and within the 10 United States, its territories or possessions, or Canada. 11 (3) Any New York resident who is neither the owner of a motor vehicle 12 with respect to which coverage for first party benefits is required by 13 this article nor, as a member of a household, is entitled to first party 14 benefits under paragraph two of this subsection, for loss arising out of 15 the use or operation of the insured or self-insured motor vehicle 16 outside of this state and within the United States, its territories or 17 possessions, or Canada. 18 (4) The estate of any covered person, other than an occupant of anoth- 19 er motor vehicle [or a motorcycle], a death benefit in the amount of two 20 thousand dollars for the death of such person arising out of the use or 21 operation of such motor vehicle which is in addition to any first party 22 benefits for basic economic loss. 23 (f) Every owner's policy of liability insurance issued on [a motorcy- 24 cle or] an all terrain vehicle in satisfaction of the requirements of 25 [article six or eight of the vehicle and traffic law or] section twen- 26 ty-four hundred seven of [such] THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC law shall also 27 provide for; every owner who maintains another form of financial securi- 28 ty on [a motorcycle or] an all terrain vehicle in satisfaction of the 29 requirements of such [articles or] section shall be liable for; and 30 every owner of [a motorcycle or] an all terrain vehicle required to be 31 subject to the provisions of this article by subdivision two of section 32 three hundred twenty-one of such law shall be liable for; the payment of 33 first party benefits to persons, other than the occupants of such 34 [motorcycle or] all terrain vehicle, another [motorcycle or] all terrain 35 vehicle, or any motor vehicle, for loss arising out of the use or opera- 36 tion of the [motorcycle or] all terrain vehicle within this state. Every 37 insurer and self-insurer may exclude from the coverage required by this 38 subsection a person who intentionally causes his OR HER own injury or is 39 injured while committing an act which would constitute a felony or while 40 seeking to avoid lawful apprehension or arrest by a law enforcement 41 officer. 42 S 3. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 5104 of the insurance law are 43 amended to read as follows: 44 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, in any action by or on behalf of a 45 covered person against another covered person for personal injuries 46 arising out of negligence in the use or operation of a motor vehicle in 47 this state, there shall be no right of recovery for non-economic loss, 48 except in the case of a serious injury, or for basic economic loss. [The 49 owner, operator or occupant of a motorcycle which has in effect the 50 financial security required by article six or eight of the vehicle and 51 traffic law, or which is referred to in subdivision two of section three 52 hundred twenty-one of such law, shall not be subject to an action by or 53 on behalf of a covered person for recovery for non-economic loss, except 54 in the case of a serious injury, or for basic economic loss.] 55 (b) In any action by or on behalf of a covered person, against a non- 56 covered person, where damages for personal injuries arising out of the S. 6359--A 3 1 use or operation of a motor vehicle [or a motorcycle] may be recovered, 2 an insurer which paid or is liable for first party benefits on account 3 of such injuries has a lien against any recovery to the extent of bene- 4 fits paid or payable by it to the covered person. No such action may be 5 compromised by the covered person except with the written consent of the 6 insurer, or with the approval of the court, or where the amount of such 7 settlement exceeds fifty thousand dollars. The failure of such person to 8 commence such action within two years after accrual gives the insurer a 9 cause of action for the amount of first party benefits paid or payable 10 against any person who may be liable to the covered person for his 11 personal injuries. The insurer's cause of action shall be in addition to 12 the cause of action of the covered person except that in any action 13 subsequently commenced by the covered person for such injuries, the 14 amount of his OR HER basic economic loss shall not be recoverable. 15 S 4. This act shall take effect January 1, 2014.