Mandates that purchasers of new vehicles complete a form authorizing or rejecting the placement of a tracking device in such vehicle, to be used by law enforcement if such vehicle is reported stolen; authorizes law enforcement to recover the stolen vehicle through electronic means, physical means, or any other method necessary to recover such vehicle as quickly as possible.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1076
SPONSOR: Buttenschon TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to mandating
that purchasers of new vehicles complete a form authorizing or rejecting
the placement of a tracking device in such vehicle, to be used by law
enforcement if such vehicle is reported stolen
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Amends the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to mandating that
purchasers of new vehicles complete a form authorizing or rejecting the
placement of a tracking device in such vehicle, to be used by law
enforcement if such vehicle is reported stolen.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Adds Section 397-d to the vehicle and traffic law: 1:
requires the commissioner to develop an authorization form for new vehi-
cle purchasers allowing them to accept or reject the Placement of a
theft tracker onto their vehicle. 2: authorizes law enforcement to only
use the tracker when the vehicle is reported to be stolen.
Section 2. Sets immediate effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services,
there were just under 22,000 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, resulting in
a 22% increase from the previous year. Shockingly, only a mere 286 vehi-
cles were recovered in 2023, highlighting the ineffective methods
currently in place.
To help combat the rising rates of motor vehicle thefts and increase the
number of vehicles recovered, new car buyers should be provided with the
option of installing a tracker onto their vehicles. These trackers would
serve as tool for law enforcement agencies, enabling them to efficiently
track and recover stolen vehicles once an official report has been
filed.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A.10102 - Referred to transportation
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill will take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1076
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BUTTENSCHON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to mandating
that purchasers of new vehicles complete a form authorizing or reject-
ing the placement of a tracking device in such vehicle, to be used by
law enforcement if such vehicle is reported stolen
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 397-d to read as follows:
3 § 397-d. Motor vehicle theft tracker. 1. The commissioner shall devel-
4 op an authorization form, to be provided to new motor vehicle purchasers
5 at the point of sale by the motor vehicle dealer, that authorizes a
6 tracking device approved by the state police to be placed in such new
7 motor vehicle and allows law enforcement to track such motor vehicle if
8 such motor vehicle is reported as stolen. Such form shall give new motor
9 vehicle purchasers the option to authorize or reject the placement of
10 such tracking device, and shall be completed before the sale of such new
11 motor vehicle is complete. Such form shall also include authorization
12 for law enforcement to recover the stolen vehicle through electronic
13 means, physical means, or any other method necessary to recover such
14 vehicle as quickly as possible.
15 2. If a purchaser authorizes the placement of a tracking device pursu-
16 ant to subdivision one of this section, the motor vehicle dealer shall
17 place such approved tracking device in the new motor vehicle. A law
18 enforcement agency or entity shall only access and utilize such device
19 if such motor vehicle is reported as stolen through an official police
20 report, to locate and recover such vehicle.
21 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02766-01-5
