Creates a series of distinctive license plates for law enforcement officers who were wounded in the line of duty or the spouse of such, which shall bear the words "Wounded in the Line of Duty"; includes the New York state sheriff's association, New York state association of chiefs of police, police benevolent association of the New York state troopers, the New York state police benevolent association, and the New York city police benevolent association; provides that proceeds from the service charge shall be used for a fund to assist wounded/fallen officers and their families.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2020
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. WALCZYK -- 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 creating a
series of distinctive license plates for law enforcement officers who
were wounded in the line of duty; and to amend the state finance law,
in relation to creating a wounded officers support fund
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 law enforcement offi-
4 cers who were injured in the line of duty. 1. Any officer who was
5 wounded in the line of duty or the spouse of any such officer shall,
6 upon request, be issued a license plate containing the seal of one of
7 the following five police associations: (a) New York state sheriff's
8 association; (b) New York state association of chiefs of police; (c)
9 police benevolent association of the New York state troopers; (d) the
10 New York state police benevolent association; and (e) the New York city
11 police benevolent association. Any plate issued pursuant to this act
12 shall bear the words "Wounded in the Line of Duty". For the purposes of
13 this section:
14 i. "Wounded in the line of duty" shall be defined as a law enforcement
15 officer who has sustained personal injury, in the intelligent perform-
16 ance of duty, inflicted by an assailant with a dangerous and deadly
17 weapon.
18 ii. Eligibility shall be verified by the department who employed the
19 officer at the time of injury and shall be reviewed by the department.
20 iii. If a distinctive plate is issued to a law enforcement officer
21 pursuant to this section, such a distinctive plate shall not be issued
22 to the spouse of such officer.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05552-01-5
S. 2020 2
1 iv. The application for such license plate shall be filed with the
2 commissioner in such form and detail as prescribed by the commissioner.
3 2. The distinctive plate authorized under subdivision one of this
4 section shall be issued upon proof, satisfactory to the commissioner,
5 that the applicant or the spouse of the applicant is a law enforcement
6 officer who was wounded in the line of duty.
7 3. (a) A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be
8 issued in the same manner as other number plates under this article upon
9 the payment of the required registration fee prescribed by section four
10 hundred one of this article; provided, however, that an additional annu-
11 al service charge of twenty-five dollars shall be charged for such
12 plates. Such annual service charge shall be deposited pursuant to the
13 provisions of section four hundred four-oo of this article, to the cred-
14 it of the department of motor vehicles distinctive plate development
15 fund established by section ninety-five-g of the state finance law.
16 (b) Moneys from such deposit shall be used for the production, design,
17 advertising, and marketing of distinctive license plates pursuant to
18 section ninety-five-g of the state finance law; provided, however, that
19 annual service charges collected in excess of six thousand dollars be
20 deposited to the "wounded officers support fund" or "the fund" estab-
21 lished by section ninety-seven-zzzz of the state finance law.
22 (c) Moneys from the fund will be directed for purposes deemed appro-
23 priate by the five law enforcement associations as long as the funds are
24 used for the purpose of assisting wounded or fallen law enforcement
25 officers and their families.
26 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-zzzz
27 to read as follows:
28 § 97-zzzz. Wounded officers support fund. 1. There is hereby estab-
29 lished in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance
30 and the comptroller, a special fund known as the "wounded officers
31 support fund" or "the fund".
32 2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received pursuant to the
33 provisions of section four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic
34 law and other moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from
35 any other fund or source pursuant to law.
36 3. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the state from
37 receiving grants, gifts, or bequests for the purposes of the fund as
38 defined in this section and depositing them into the fund according to
39 the law.
40 4. Moneys of the fund shall be expended for the sole purpose of
41 supporting wounded law enforcement officers and their families, as well
42 as the families of fallen law enforcement officers. This includes but is
43 not limited to providing: medical treatments, mental health counseling,
44 home accessibility improvements, service animals, transportation needs,
45 and funeral services.
46 5. Moneys of the fund shall be used solely for the wounded officers
47 support fund and may not be diverted into any general fund.
48 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
49 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
50 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
51 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
52 completed on or before such effective date.
