NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A494
SPONSOR: Magnarelli (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to driver
education
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to expand access to drivers' education to 16
and 17-year-old students by authorizing driving schools the ability
offer driver education separate and apart from the high school.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the vehicle and traffic law to authorize
driving schools to offer a driver education course approved by the
Commissioner.
Section 2 of the bill establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, New York State driver's education courses are provided by
local high schools. The courses taught at High Schools must provide each
student at least twenty-four (24) clock hours of classroom instruction
and twenty-four (24) clock hours of in-car instruction. Students must
complete at least six (6) clock hours of actual behind-the-wheel driving
and eighteen (18) clock hours of observation in a teacher-supervised
vehicle. For the classroom in-car instruction, High schools' contract
with commercial driving schools to provide the in-car driving instruc-
tion.
By allowing licensed driving schools to provide this service directly to
the public, independent from the school district system, high school
students that attend a high school that does not offer a driver educa-
tion program or one they can't attend do to scheduling conflicts or any
other reasons will be afforded access to these driver safety programs.
New York State is seeing fewer high schools offer drivers education
leaving many high school students without access to this vital driver
safety program.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: A.8979
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
494
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI, STECK, LEVENBERG, SHIMSKY, LAVINE,
WEPRIN, SAYEGH, SANTABARBARA, ZINERMAN, DAVILA, HYNDMAN, REYES --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to driver
education
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 507 of the vehicle and traffic
2 law, as separately amended by chapters 229 and 230 of the laws of 2020,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 1. Driver education. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
5 article, a class D or class M license, whichever is appropriate, may be
6 issued to a minor seventeen years of age who has successfully completed
7 a driver education course approved by the state education department and
8 the commissioner in a high school or college or approved by the commis-
9 sioner for a course at a licensed New York state driving school and who
10 has submitted proof of completion of the minimum hours of supervised
11 driving as required in paragraph (d) of subdivision two of section five
12 hundred two of this article; provided however, the Yeshiva of Staten
13 Island, which operates as a high school, may provide driver education
14 courses at the Arthur Kill Road Jewish Community Center of Staten Island
15 and the Manor Road Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, located in
16 the county of Richmond; provided however, the Hebrew Academy of Nassau
17 County, a unified school that operates a high school, may provide a
18 driver education course approved by the state education department in a
19 middle school or elementary school location provided such course
20 instruction occurs when elementary or middle school is not in session.
21 No such driver education course may be approved unless classroom train-
22 ing is provided by a person approved by the state education department
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01106-01-5
A. 494 2
1 and the commissioner. However, a school district may contract with one
2 or more licensed drivers' schools to provide behind the wheel training,
3 pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner. The commission-
4 er shall prescribe the requirements for licensing of such minors. A
5 student enrolled in such an approved driver education course may operate
6 a motor vehicle without holding a driver's license or a learner's permit
7 while under the immediate supervision of an instructor in such course or
8 a driver's school instructor providing behind the wheel training in such
9 a course, provided such operation is in accordance with the rules estab-
10 lished by the commissioner. Every student who successfully completes
11 such course in a day, evening or summer school program offered by a
12 public or private school shall receive certification of such completion
13 on a certificate prescribed by the commissioner.
14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
