Relates to fees charged for the issuance of number plates and to requiring a report on the costs of manufacturing such plates; requires the fee for a number plate not to exceed the cost of producing such plate; establishes that no additional fee shall be charged to keep a current number plate due to a design change implemented by the commissioner; requires the commissioner of the department of corrections and community supervision to report on the costs of manufacturing license plates.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3198
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to fees charged
for the issuance of number plates; and to amend the correction law, in
relation to requiring a report on the costs of manufacturing license
plates
PURPOSE::
This legislation would set the price of license plate fees at or below
the actual cost to the manufacture license plates. The bill also
prevents additional fees for drivers to keep the same license plate
number in the event of a design change by the DMV. Finally, it requires
DOCCS to produce an annual report that details the cost of making the
license plates.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section one amends paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 401 of the
vehicle and traffic law to state that an additional fee, not to exceed
the actual cost of manufacturing a number plate, shall be paid to the
commissioner whenever a set of reflectorized number plates is issued.
Section two amends subdivision 3 of section 403 of the vehicle and traf-
fic law by adding a new paragraph that states notwithstanding the
provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision, no such one-time fee
shall be charged for any plates required to be replaced due to any
number plate design changes implemented by the commissioner.
Section three amends subdivision 2 of section 186 of the correction law
to read, beginning April first, two thousand twenty one and annually
thereafter, the commissioner shall report to the director of the budget,
the temporary president of the senate and speaker of the assembly on the
costs of manufacturing such license plates.
Section four states the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION::
Governor Cuomo and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
(DMV) recently announced their plan to implement a 10-year license plate
replacement requirement program requiring drivers to pay $25 for new
license plates and an additional $20 to keep their current plate number.
Under current law the DMV is allowed to charge up to $25 for license
plates, while this bill would keep that amount equal to or below the
cost to manufacture and distribute the license plates. The bill would
also prevent the state from charging additional fees for drivers to keep
their license plate number when the state implements an unnecessary
design change. Finally, the bill requires DOCCS to produce an annual
report that details the cost of making the license plates so the infor-
mation will be transparent and readily available.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2019-20: A8633 - referred to transportation
2021-22: A1670 - referred to transportation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3198
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to fees charged
for the issuance of number plates; and to amend the correction law, in
relation to requiring a report on the costs of manufacturing license
plates
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 3 of section 401 of the vehicle
2 and traffic law, as amended by section 1 of part H of chapter 59 of the
3 laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
4 a. Upon filing of such application and the payment of the fee herein-
5 after provided, the commissioner shall assign to such motor vehicle a
6 distinctive number and, without expense to the applicant, issue and
7 deliver in such manner as the commissioner may select to the owner a
8 certificate of registration, in such form as the commissioner shall
9 prescribe, and two number plates at a place within the state of New York
10 named by the applicant in [his or her] such applicant's application. A
11 number plate, within the meaning of this chapter, may, in the discretion
12 of the commissioner, be a plate of a permanent nature, treated with
13 reflectorized material according to specifications prescribed by the
14 commissioner, and with a date tag attached to such plate or to the vehi-
15 cle as prescribed by regulations of the commissioner indicating the
16 validity of the plate during a certain period and the issuance of such a
17 number plate with such date tag to a person possessing such a number
18 plate shall be deemed the issuance of a number plate. An additional fee,
19 not to exceed [twenty-five dollars] the actual cost of manufacturing a
20 number plate, shall be paid to the commissioner whenever a set of
21 reflectorized number plates is issued for any vehicle for which a regis-
22 tration fee is normally charged except that, with respect to any number
23 plate which is specifically requested by the applicant, such fee shall
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06271-01-5
A. 3198 2
1 be paid to the commissioner upon approval of such request. In the event
2 of the loss, mutilation or destruction of any certificate of registra-
3 tion, any number plate or set of number plates whether with or without a
4 date tag or tags, or any date tag or set of date tags provided for in
5 this article, the owner of a registered motor vehicle may file such
6 statement and proof of the facts as the commissioner shall require, with
7 a fee of three dollars, in the office of the commissioner, or, unless
8 and until the commissioner shall otherwise direct, in the office of the
9 agent who issued the certificate, plate, plates, tag or tags and the
10 commissioner or [his or her] such commissioner's agent, as the case may
11 be, shall issue a duplicate or substitute. It shall be the duty of every
12 owner holding a certificate of registration to notify the commissioner
13 in writing of any change of residence of such person within ten days
14 after such change occurs, and to inscribe on such certificate, in the
15 place provided by the commissioner, a record of such change of resi-
16 dence.
17 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 403 of the vehicle and traffic law is
18 amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows:
19 d. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision,
20 no such one-time fee shall be charged for any plates required to be
21 replaced due to any number plate design changes implemented by the
22 commissioner.
23 § 3. The opening paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 186 of the
24 correction law, as amended by section 29 of subpart A of part C of chap-
25 ter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
26 The prices established by the commissioner shall be based upon costs
27 as determined pursuant to this subdivision, but shall not exceed a
28 reasonable fair market price determined at or within ninety days before
29 the time of sale. Fair market price as used herein means the price at
30 which a vendor of the same or similar product or service who is regular-
31 ly engaged in the business of selling such product or service offers to
32 sell such a product or service under similar terms in the same market.
33 However, the price established by the commissioner for license plates
34 sold to the New York state department of motor vehicles shall in no
35 event exceed an amount approved by the director of the budget. Beginning
36 April first, two thousand twenty-five, and annually thereafter, the
37 commissioner shall report to the director of the budget, the temporary
38 president of the senate and speaker of the assembly on the costs of
39 manufacturing such license plates.
40 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
