A05052 Summary:

BILL NO    A05052 

SAME AS    No same as

SPONSOR    Lopez V

COSPNSR    

MLTSPNSR   

Amd S510, V & T L

Relates to suspension for failure to appear or pay certain fines in cities with
a population of one million or more and the county of Westchester.

A05052 Actions:

BILL NO    A05052 

02/10/2009 referred to transportation
01/06/2010 referred to transportation

A05052 Votes:

A05052 Memo:

 BILL NUMBER:  A5052

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in
relation to suspension for failure to answer certain appearance
tickets or pay certain fines in cities with a population of one
million or more and the county of Westchester

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

This bill amends Section 510 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to
authorize the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles ("Commissioner") to
suspend an individual's driver's license or vehicle registration under
certain circumstances.

Where the Commissioner receives notification from the adjudication
tribunal of an administrative agency responsible for licensing and/or
regulating taxicabs and liveries that an individual has either failed
to appear in response to a summons or failed to pay a fine imposed for
the violation of operating a motor vehicle without a required license,
the Commissioner may effectuate such suspension.

 REASONS FOR SUPPORT :

This bill would extend to taxicab and livery cases the license and
registration suspension provisions that apply when an operator fails
to answer an appearance ticket or pay a fine imposed by a court or
parking violations agency to cases involving taxicabs and liveries
regulated by administrative agencies.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission ("TLC") licenses and regulates
taxicabs and other vehicles for-hire ("FHVs") in New York City. The
for-hire vehicle industry has been plagued by the illegal operation of
vehicle that are not licensed by the TLC. These vehicles are not
subject to TLC's safety standards, and may be operated by drivers who
do not meet TLC's licensing criteria, which include annual drug
testing and criminal background investigations.

Summonses may be issued to drivers and owners of vehicles accepting
passengers for hire, where the driver and/or the vehicle owner is not
licensed by the TLC. Summonses may also be issued to individuals
operating for-hire vehicles with licenses that have been surrendered
or revoked. The TLC's adjudication tribunal rules on such infractions.

In New York City, during 2004, the TLC issued 5,160 summonses for
operating a vehicle for hire without a TLC license. Respondents failed
to appear and/or pay the fines 30% of the time. Similarly, in
Westchester County, 28% of the 2,000 summonses issued by its TLC in
2004 were uncollected.

Since these respondents are not licensed by the respective TLC,
neither the Westchester County TLC nor the New York City TLC have the
power to compel compliance with the law, or payment of fines, by these
individuals.

This bill would provide an incentive for operators to comply with
licensing and other requirements of a local regulatory authority.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY : A8386 of the 2005/06 Session

 EFFECTIVE : Immediately.