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: A3557
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
________________________________________________________________________
3557
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2023
___________
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 application. A number plate, within
11 the meaning of this chapter, may, in the discretion of the commissioner,
12 be a plate of a permanent nature, treated with reflectorized material
13 according to specifications prescribed by the commissioner, and with a
14 date tag attached to such plate or to the vehicle as prescribed by regu-
15 lations of the commissioner indicating the validity of the plate during
16 a certain period and the issuance of such a number plate with such date
17 tag to a person possessing such a number plate shall be deemed the issu-
18 ance of a number plate. An additional fee, not to exceed [twenty-five
19 dollars] the actual cost of manufacturing a number plate, shall be paid
20 to the commissioner whenever a set of reflectorized number plates is
21 issued for any vehicle for which a registration fee is normally charged
22 except that, with respect to any number plate which is specifically
23 requested by the applicant, such fee shall be paid to the commissioner
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07275-01-3
A. 3557 2
1 upon approval of such request. In the event of the loss, mutilation or
2 destruction of any certificate of registration, any number plate or set
3 of number plates whether with or without a date tag or tags, or any date
4 tag or set of date tags provided for in this article, the owner of a
5 registered motor vehicle may file such statement and proof of the facts
6 as the commissioner shall require, with a fee of three dollars, in the
7 office of the commissioner, or, unless and until the commissioner shall
8 otherwise direct, in the office of the agent who issued the certificate,
9 plate, plates, tag or tags and the commissioner or his or her agent, as
10 the case may be, shall issue a duplicate or substitute. It shall be the
11 duty of every owner holding a certificate of registration to notify the
12 commissioner in writing of any change of residence of such person within
13 ten days after such change occurs, and to inscribe on such certificate,
14 in the place provided by the commissioner, a record of such change of
15 residence.
16 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 403 of the vehicle and traffic law is
17 amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows:
18 d. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision,
19 no such one-time fee shall be charged for any plates required to be
20 replaced due to any number plate design changes implemented by the
21 commissioner.
22 § 3. The opening paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 186 of the
23 correction law, as amended by section 29 of subpart A of part C of chap-
24 ter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
25 The prices established by the commissioner shall be based upon costs
26 as determined pursuant to this subdivision, but shall not exceed a
27 reasonable fair market price determined at or within ninety days before
28 the time of sale. Fair market price as used herein means the price at
29 which a vendor of the same or similar product or service who is regular-
30 ly engaged in the business of selling such product or service offers to
31 sell such a product or service under similar terms in the same market.
32 However, the price established by the commissioner for license plates
33 sold to the New York state department of motor vehicles shall in no
34 event exceed an amount approved by the director of the budget. Beginning
35 April first, two thousand twenty-three, and annually thereafter, the
36 commissioner shall report to the director of the budget, the temporary
37 president of the senate and speaker of the assembly on the costs of
38 manufacturing such license plates.
39 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
