STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7067
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
distinctive license plates for New York state licensed mental health
counselors
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 404-ff to read as follows:
3 § 404-ff. Distinctive plates for New York state licensed mental health
4 counselors. 1. Any New York state licensed mental health counselor
5 residing in this state shall, upon request, be issued a license plate
6 formatted at the discretion of the department bearing the letters "MHC".
7 If a distinctive plate is issued to a New York state licensed mental
8 health counselor pursuant to this section, such distinctive plate shall
9 not be issued to the spouse of such person unless such spouse is a
10 mental health counselor as well. Application for such license shall be
11 filed with the commissioner in such form and detail as the commissioner
12 shall prescribe, and shall be verified annually by the applicant.
13 2. The distinctive plate authorized in subdivision one of this section
14 shall be issued upon proof, satisfactory to the commissioner, that the
15 applicant is presently a mental health counselor licensed to practice in
16 the state of New York and shall be issued in the same manner as other
17 number plates upon payment of the regular registration fee prescribed by
18 section four hundred one of this article; provided, however, that an
19 additional service charge of twenty-five dollars shall be charged for
20 such plate on an annual basis.
21 3. The commissioner may set an additional fee, not to exceed fifteen
22 dollars, to the annual service charge, established in subdivision two of
23 this section, and such fee shall be deposited to the credit of the
24 department of motor vehicles distinctive plate development fund estab-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10534-01-5
A. 7067 2
1 lished by section ninety-five-g of the state finance law. Such fee shall
2 be used for the production, design, advertising and marketing of
3 distinctive license plates pursuant to such section ninety-five-g.
4 § 2. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of
5 the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section one of this act, shall
6 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart-
7 ment of motor vehicles of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand
8 dollars, which shall be executed by a surety company authorized by the
9 department of financial services to transact business in this state.
10 Provided, however, that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have
11 received prior to the plate design, production and issuance at least two
12 hundred orders for such distinctive plate together with the additional
13 annual service charge applicable to each such order, which shall be
14 non-refundable, no such surety bond shall be required. All such service
15 charges shall be deposited pursuant to the provisions of section 404-oo
16 of article 14 of the vehicle and traffic law to the credit of the
17 department of motor vehicles distinctive plate development fund estab-
18 lished by section 95-g of the state finance law and shall be used for
19 the design, production, advertising and distribution of distinctive
20 license plates in accordance with such section 95-g.
21 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which
22 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale two
23 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant
24 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of
25 such plates are sold by such time, the department of motor vehicles
26 shall be entitled to recover against the bond in an amount proportionate
27 to such shortfall.
28 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
29 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section two of this
30 act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addition,
31 amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the
32 implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be
33 made and completed on or before such effective date.
