STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5863
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, KRUEGER, SALAZAR -- read
twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to bystander
reporting of stolen, false or fraudulent license plates
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 392-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
2 chapter 307 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 392-a. Sale or purchase of stolen, false or fraudulent license,
4 identification card, certificate of registration, or number plate. 1. A
5 person who knowingly sells or offers to sell or buys or offers to buy a
6 false, fraudulent or stolen license, identification card, certificate of
7 registration or number plate, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor as a
8 first offense and a class E felony as a second or subsequent offense
9 committed within ten years of the prior offense.
10 2. (a) For the purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions
11 shall apply:
12 (i) "Bystander" shall mean any natural person, other than a police
13 officer or other governmental employee authorized to serve summons for a
14 violation of this section, who observes a number plate on a motor vehi-
15 cle that such person believes to be stolen, false, and/or fraudulent and
16 reports such believed violation to the local enforcement authority
17 pursuant to the provisions of this section.
18 (ii) "Local enforcement authority" shall mean any police department or
19 other governmental entity designated by a municipality to enforce the
20 provisions of this chapter.
21 (iii) "Municipality" shall mean a county outside the city of New York,
22 or a city, town, or village.
23 (b) Each municipality in this state shall create a program in which a
24 bystander may report to the local enforcement authority a number plate
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07805-01-5
S. 5863 2
1 that such person believes to be stolen, false, and/or fraudulent on a
2 form prescribed by such municipality. The municipality shall make avail-
3 able and post online information describing such program and all details
4 that the local enforcement authority deems necessary and relevant to
5 include in a bystander report which may include, but not be limited to,
6 time and date verification, make, model, and color of the motor vehicle,
7 license plate number, and issuing state. Such information shall include
8 guidance on gathering supporting documentation and shall clearly
9 describe anticipated timelines for the investigation of such alleged
10 violation and issuance of fines.
11 (c) Any bystander who has served a complaint upon a local enforcement
12 authority, pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision, shall receive
13 twenty-five percent of the proceeds of any fine, issued under article
14 eighty of the penal law, for disclosure of information or evidence not
15 in the possession of such authority prior to the receipt of the
16 bystander's complaint which leads to a conviction of the offense
17 described in subdivision one of this section.
18 (d) A municipality may enter into a joint service agreement, consist-
19 ent with section one hundred nineteen-o of the general municipal law,
20 with another municipality in order to effectuate the provisions of this
21 section.
22 § 2. Section 402 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a
23 new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
24 9. (a) For the purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions
25 shall apply:
26 (i) "Bystander" shall mean any natural person, other than a police
27 officer or other governmental employee authorized to serve summons for a
28 violation of this section, who observes a number plate on a motor vehi-
29 cle that such person believes to violate the provisions of paragraph (b)
30 of subdivision one of this section.
31 (ii) "Local enforcement authority" shall mean any police department or
32 other governmental entity designated by a municipality to enforce the
33 provisions of this chapter.
34 (iii) "Municipality" shall mean a county outside the city of New York,
35 or a city, town, or village.
36 (b) All municipalities in this state shall create a program in which a
37 bystander may report to the local enforcement authority a number plate
38 that such person believes to violate the provisions of paragraph (b) of
39 subdivision one of this section in a form prescribed by such munici-
40 pality. The municipality shall make available and post online informa-
41 tion describing such program and all details that the local enforcement
42 authority deems necessary and relevant to include in a bystander report,
43 which may include but not be limited to time and date verification,
44 make, model, and color of the motor vehicle, license plate number, and
45 issuing state. Such information shall include guidance on gathering
46 supporting documentation and shall clearly describe anticipated time-
47 lines for the investigation of such alleged violation and issuance of
48 fines.
49 (c) Any bystander who has served a complaint upon a local enforcement
50 authority, pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision, shall receive
51 twenty-five percent of the proceeds of a fine imposed pursuant to subdi-
52 vision eight of this section for disclosure of information or evidence
53 not in the possession of such authority prior to the receipt of the
54 bystander's complaint which leads to a finding of a violation of the
55 provisions of paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section.
S. 5863 3
1 (d) A municipality may enter into a joint service agreement, consist-
2 ent with section one hundred nineteen-o of the general municipal law,
3 with another municipality in order to effectuate the provisions of this
4 section.
5 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
6 it shall have become a law. On or before such effective date, each muni-
7 cipality, or set of municipalities if entering into a joint service
8 agreement pursuant to section 119-o of the general municipal law, shall
9 publish online a description of the bystander reporting program
10 described in this act, including information related to best practices
11 for the filing of a report.
