STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7191
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- 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 the regis-
tration of motor vehicles owned by the parent or guardian of a severe-
ly disabled person
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 subdivision 4 and paragraph (b) of
2 subdivision 5 of section 404-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as
3 amended by chapter 376 of the laws of 2015, are amended and a new subdi-
4 vision 3-a is added to read as follows:
5 3-a. Registration of vehicles owned by the parent or guardian of a
6 severely disabled person. The commissioner shall assign to such motor
7 vehicles, including any van or pick-up truck used for transporting
8 persons with disabilities which is not used for commercial purposes and
9 which are owned by the parent or guardian of such person a distinctive
10 number and issue and deliver in such manner as the commissioner may
11 select to the owner a certification of registration, in such form as the
12 commissioner shall prescribe and two number plates, called disabled
13 person passenger plates. Such disabled person passenger plates shall
14 conform to the requirements of section four hundred one of this chapter,
15 but shall bear distinctive marks to distinguish them from number plates
16 to be issued to other persons, qualifying under this chapter. The
17 commissioner, in their discretion, may issue, for any registration year,
18 only one plate as a set for a motor vehicle, in which event a set of
19 disabled person plates for a motor vehicle shall consist of one plate.
20 Where the parent or guardian of a severely disabled person owns more
21 than one vehicle and such vehicle or vehicles is or are used for trans-
22 porting persons with disabilities, the commissioner shall issue one set
23 of plates for each additional vehicle used by such parent or guardian of
24 a severely disabled person.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11343-01-5
S. 7191 2
1 The commissioner shall issue sets of plates to such person in accord-
2 ance with subdivision two and subdivision three-a of this section with
3 proof of such disability of such person or such members of [his or her]
4 such person's family certified by a physician, physician assistant or
5 nurse practitioner, to the extent authorized by law and consistent with
6 subdivision three of section six thousand nine hundred two of the educa-
7 tion law, or podiatrist pursuant to subdivision four-a of this section
8 or optometrist pursuant to subdivision four-b of this section, to the
9 satisfaction of the commissioner who is empowered to carry out the
10 effects of this section by formulating rules and regulations. The
11 commissioner shall issue sets of plates to such person in accordance
12 with subdivision three-a of this section with proof of parenthood or
13 guardianship of a severely disabled person including but not limited to
14 a birth certificate, foreign birth certificate, adoption decree, custody
15 agreement, or consistent with article seventeen of the surrogate court
16 procedure act, article seventeen-a of the surrogate court procedure act,
17 or article eighty-three of the mental hygiene law.
18 (b) The commissioner may require the applicant for registration to
19 furnish such proof of [his or her] such applicant's disability, such
20 proof of the disability of such applicant's child or person under their
21 guardianship, or such proof of disability of such members of [his or
22 her] their family from a physician, physician assistant or nurse practi-
23 tioner, to the extent authorized by law and consistent with subdivision
24 three of section six thousand nine hundred two of the education law, or
25 podiatrist pursuant to subdivision four-a of this section or optometrist
26 pursuant to subdivision four-b of this section, as the commissioner
27 deems necessary either for initial registration or renewal thereof;
28 provided, however, that a handicapped or disabled permit issued by a
29 municipality to such applicant pursuant to section twelve hundred
30 three-a of this chapter shall be deemed sufficient proof of disability
31 for purposes of this paragraph.
32 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
33 it shall have become a law.
