Increases fees for the registration of larger, heavier motor vehicles; provides a waiver for a portion of weight added by batteries in electric vehicles.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3957
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, GONZALEZ, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, KRUEGER -- 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 registration
fees for certain vehicles; and to repeal certain provisions of such
law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The opening paragraph of paragraph a of subdivision 6 of
2 section 401 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 1 of
3 part G of chapter 59 of the laws of 2009, is amended and two new para-
4 graphs a-1 and a-2 are added to read as follows:
5 [The] Prior to January first, two thousand twenty-six, the following
6 fees shall be paid to the commissioner, or agent, upon the registration
7 or reregistration of a motor vehicle, including a suburban, in accord-
8 ance with the provisions of this article:
9 a-1. Beginning in two thousand twenty-six, the commissioner shall be
10 authorized to incrementally increase registration and reregistration
11 fees annually until such fees reach the amounts set forth in paragraph
12 a-two of this subdivision.
13 a-2. (i) Beginning in two thousand thirty, the following fees shall be
14 paid to the commissioner, or agent, upon the registration or reregistra-
15 tion of a motor vehicle which is a sedan, hardtop, coupe, convertible,
16 station wagon or hatchback in accordance with the provisions of this
17 article:
18 The first nineteen hundred ninety-nine pounds of the weight of such
19 motor vehicle, fully equipped, zero cents per pound; for each pound of
20 motor vehicle weight of at least two thousand pounds but less than three
21 thousand pounds, ten cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
22 weight of at least three thousand pounds but less than four thousand
23 pounds, fifteen cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00303-02-5
S. 3957 2
1 of at least four thousand pounds but less than five thousand pounds,
2 twenty-one cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight of at
3 least five thousand pounds but less than six thousand pounds, thirty-one
4 cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight of at least six
5 thousand pounds but less than seven thousand pounds, forty-five cents
6 per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight of at least seven
7 thousand pounds but less than eight thousand pounds, sixty-six cents per
8 pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight of at least eight thousand
9 pounds but less than nine thousand pounds, ninety-seven cents per pound;
10 for each pound of motor vehicle weight of nine thousand pounds or great-
11 er, one dollar and forty-one cents per pound.
12 (ii) Beginning in two thousand thirty, the following fees shall be
13 paid to the commissioner, or agent, upon the registration or reregistra-
14 tion of a motor vehicle which is a sports utility vehicle, minivan, or
15 truck in accordance with the provisions of this article:
16 The first nineteen hundred ninety-nine pounds of the weight of such
17 motor vehicle, fully equipped, ten cents per pound; for each pound of
18 motor vehicle weight of at least two thousand pounds but less than three
19 thousand pounds, fifteen cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehi-
20 cle weight of at least three thousand pounds but less than four thousand
21 pounds, twenty-two cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
22 weight of at least four thousand pounds but less than five thousand
23 pounds, thirty-two cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
24 weight of at least five thousand pounds but less than six thousand
25 pounds, forty-seven cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
26 weight of at least six thousand pounds but less than seven thousand
27 pounds, sixty-eight cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
28 weight of at least seven thousand pounds but less than eight thousand
29 pounds, one dollar per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle weight of
30 at least eight thousand pounds but less than nine thousand pounds, one
31 dollar and forty-five cents per pound; for each pound of motor vehicle
32 weight of nine thousand pounds or greater, two dollars and twelve cents
33 per pound.
34 (iii) For the registration or reregistration of any motor vehicle in
35 accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph that
36 produces zero emissions and weighs no more than five thousand pounds,
37 the fee for one thousand pounds of motor vehicle weight at a rate of ten
38 cents per pound shall be waived.
39 (iv) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph, for
40 motor vehicles described in subdivision seven of this section, the fee
41 for such registration shall be as therein prescribed.
42 (v) The curb weight of motor vehicle shall be accepted as the weight
43 for the purpose of registration and reregistration under this paragraph.
44 § 2. Subdivision 21 of section 401 of the vehicle and traffic law is
45 REPEALED and a new subdivision 21 is added to read as follows:
46 21. a. The commissioner shall deposit daily the percentages listed
47 below of all fees collected or received by the commissioner pursuant to
48 certain registration fees imposed by (i) paragraphs a, a-one and a-two
49 of subdivision six of this section, (ii) all schedules of subdivision
50 seven of this section, and (iii) paragraph a of subdivision eight of
51 this section in a responsible bank, banking house or trust company,
52 which shall pay the highest rate of interest to the state for such
53 deposit to the credit of the comptroller on account of the dedicated
54 highway and bridge trust fund established pursuant to section eighty-
55 nine-b of the state finance law. Annually, the commissioner shall so
56 deposit such registration fees so collected or so received after March
S. 3957 3
1 thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six until such time as the annual
2 financial plan of the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund and the
3 dedicated mass transportation trust fund are met. Thereafter, seventy-
4 five percent of such registration fees collected shall be directed to
5 funding new state and local street safety projects including but not
6 limited to protected bike lanes, bollards, road diets, pedestrianization
7 of streets, pedestrian islands, raised crosswalks, chicanes, turn calm-
8 ing, rumble strips, leading pedestrian intervals and curb and sidewalk
9 extensions. The remaining twenty-five percent shall be expended for
10 maintenance, repair, and revitalization of state and local roadways,
11 with a preference for projects that utilize green asphalt. The afore-
12 mentioned funds for street safety and roadway projects shall be prior-
13 itized for use in local projects before use in state projects. Every
14 bank, banking house or trust company that accepts such deposits shall
15 execute and file in the office of the department of audit and control an
16 undertaking to the state, in the sum, and with such sureties, as are
17 required and approved by the comptroller for the safe keeping and prompt
18 payment on legal demand therefor of all such moneys held by or on depos-
19 it in such bank, banking house, or trust company, with interest thereon
20 on daily balances at such rate as the comptroller may fix. Every such
21 undertaking shall have endorsed thereon or annexed thereto the approval
22 of the attorney general as to its form.
23 b. Of the revenues so deposited, the comptroller shall retain in their
24 hands such amount as the commissioner may determine to be necessary for
25 refunds or reimbursements of the fees collected or received pursuant to
26 (i) paragraphs a, a-one and a-two of subdivision six of this section,
27 (ii) all schedules of subdivision seven of this section, and (iii) para-
28 graph a of subdivision eight of this section to which registrants shall
29 be entitled under the provisions of this article, out of which amount
30 the commissioner shall pay any refunds or reimbursements of the fees
31 collected or received pursuant to paragraphs a, a-one and a-two of
32 subdivision six, all schedules of subdivision seven and paragraph a of
33 subdivision eight of this section to which registrants shall be entitled
34 under such provisions. The comptroller, after reserving the amount to
35 pay such refunds or reimbursements, shall, on or before the last day of
36 each month, deposit the balance of the revenue so deposited during such
37 month into the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund established
38 pursuant to section eighty-nine-b of the state finance law and the mass
39 transportation trust fund established pursuant to section eighty-nine-c
40 of the state finance law.
41 § 3. The commissioner of the department of transportation shall submit
42 a report to the governor and the legislature annually that lists, by
43 county, the street safety projects and roadway improvement projects
44 funded by paragraph a of subdivision 21 of section 410 of the vehicle
45 and traffic law, as added by section two of this act. The report shall
46 also include, by county, vehicle weight data, the number of vehicles
47 receiving a fee reduction for producing zero emissions and the number of
48 vehicles categorized by vehicle weight involved in crashes with pedes-
49 trians, cyclists or other vehicles resulting in serious injuries or
50 fatalities. The report shall be made publicly available on the depart-
51 ment of transportation website.
52 § 4. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.
