STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10465
IN ASSEMBLY
May 27, 2016
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Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the navigation law and the vehicle and traffic law, in
relation to the payment of fines for certain violations; to amend the
navigation law, in relation to reductions in certain insurance rates;
and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the
boating safety education fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 10, 11 and 12 of section 40 of the navigation
2 law, subdivision 11 as renumbered by chapter 391 of the laws of 1971,
3 are renumbered subdivisions 11, 12 and 13 and a new subdivision 10 is
4 added to read as follows:
5 10. All vessels constructed after December thirty-first, two thousand
6 fifteen which have a bilge, shall have a bilge high water alarm
7 installed.
8 § 2. Section 73-b of the navigation law, as amended by chapter 320 of
9 the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
10 § 73-b. Misdemeanors. Every person convicted of a misdemeanor pursuant
11 to any of the provisions of this chapter for which another penalty is
12 not provided shall for a first conviction thereof be punished by a fine
13 of not less than two hundred fifty nor more than five hundred dollars or
14 by a period of imprisonment of not more than thirty days or by both such
15 fine and imprisonment; for a conviction of a second violation, both of
16 which were committed within a period of twenty-four months, such person
17 shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than
18 one thousand five hundred dollars or by a period of imprisonment of not
19 more than sixty days or by both such fine and imprisonment; upon a
20 conviction of a third or subsequent violation, all of which were commit-
21 ted within a period of twenty-four months, such person shall be punished
22 by a fine of not less than one thousand five hundred nor more than two
23 thousand five hundred dollars or by a period of imprisonment of not more
24 than one hundred twenty days or by both such fine and imprisonment. All
25 fines collected pursuant to this section are to be deposited in the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10128-02-5
A. 10465 2
1 boating safety education fund established pursuant to section ninety-
2 seven-qqqq of the state finance law.
3 § 3. Section 73-c of the navigation law is amended by adding a new
4 subdivision 3 to read as follows:
5 3. All fines collected pursuant to this section are to be deposited in
6 the boating safety education fund established pursuant to section nine-
7 ty-seven-qqqq of the state finance law.
8 § 4. Section 78-a of the navigation law, as added by chapter 160 of
9 the laws of 1990 and as further amended by section 104 of part A of
10 chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
11 § 78-a. Insurance rate reduction. (a) Any insurance carrier licensed
12 to issue yacht or boating liability insurance in this state is author-
13 ized to grant rate reductions with the approval of the department of
14 financial services to any owner of a yacht or boat who has successfully
15 completed a boating safety course or holds a valid United States Coast
16 Guard operators license.
17 (b) Any insurance carrier licensed to issue yacht or boating liability
18 insurance in this state is authorized to grant rate reductions with the
19 approval of the department of financial services to any yacht or boat
20 that is equipped with a high water bilge alarm.
21 § 5. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-qqqq
22 to read as follows:
23 § 97-qqqq. Boating safety education fund. 1. There is hereby estab-
24 lished in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commission-
25 er of taxation and finance a special fund to be known as the "boating
26 safety education fund".
27 2. The fund shall consist of the following revenue: (i) fines
28 collected pursuant to section seventy-three-b of the navigation law;
29 (ii) fines collected pursuant to section seventy-three-c of the naviga-
30 tion law; (iii) beginning July first, two thousand sixteen, fifty
31 percent from each vessel registration or reregistration fee paid pursu-
32 ant to subdivision three of section two thousand two hundred fifty-one
33 of the vehicle and traffic law; and (iv) fines collected pursuant to
34 section two thousand two hundred fifty-six of the vehicle and traffic
35 law.
36 3. Moneys of the fund, following appropriation by the legislature,
37 shall be made available to the department of parks, recreation and
38 historic preservation only for the administration and implementation of
39 the boating safety education program established pursuant to section
40 seventy-five of the navigation law and boating law enforcement conducted
41 by the state or municipalities. No more than ten percent of the annual
42 receipts of the fund may be used for administrative and personnel costs
43 of the department needed to implement and administer the program.
44 Remaining moneys of the fund shall be used for the administrative and
45 operating expenses of the boating safety education courses of instruc-
46 tion provided pursuant to section seventy-nine of the navigation law.
47 4. The moneys of the fund shall be paid out on the audit and warrant
48 of the comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner
49 of parks, recreation, and historic preservation, including advances of
50 funds pursuant to a contract to a boating safety education courses of
51 instruction organization. At the end of each year any moneys remaining
52 in the fund shall be retained in the fund and shall not revert to the
53 general fund. The interest and income earned on money in the fund, after
54 deducting any applicable charges, shall be credited to the fund.
A. 10465 3
1 § 6. Subdivision 3 of section 2251 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
2 amended by section 5 of part G of chapter 59 of the laws of 2009, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 3. Fees. The triennial fee for registration of a vessel shall be:
5 twenty-two dollars and fifty cents and a vessel surcharge of three
6 dollars and seventy-five cents, if less than sixteen feet in length;
7 forty-five dollars and a vessel surcharge of twelve dollars and fifty
8 cents, if sixteen feet or over but less than twenty-six feet in length;
9 seventy-five dollars and a vessel surcharge of eighteen dollars and
10 seventy-five cents, if twenty-six feet or over. All funds derived from
11 the collection of the vessel access surcharge pursuant to this subdivi-
12 sion are to be deposited in a subaccount of the "I love NY waterways"
13 vessel access account established pursuant to section ninety-seven-nn of
14 the state finance law. The vessel access surcharge shall not be consid-
15 ered a registration fee for purposes of section seventy-nine-b of the
16 navigation law.
17 Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this section, the differ-
18 ence collected between the fees set forth in this subdivision in effect
19 on and after September first, two thousand nine and the fees set forth
20 in this subdivision prior to such date shall be deposited to the credit
21 of the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund. Notwithstanding any
22 inconsistent provision of this section, the difference collected between
23 the vessel surcharge set forth in this subdivision in effect on and
24 after September first, two thousand nine and the vessel surcharge set
25 forth in this subdivision in effect prior to such date shall be deposit-
26 ed to the credit of the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund.
27 Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this section, fifty
28 percent of the amount collected from the registration fee on and after
29 July first, two thousand fifteen shall be deposited to the credit of the
30 boating safety education fund established pursuant to section ninety-
31 seven-qqqq of the state finance law.
32 § 7. Section 2256 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding
33 a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
34 3. All fines collected pursuant to this section are to be deposited in
35 the boating safety education fund established pursuant to section nine-
36 ty-seven-qqqq of the state finance law.
37 § 8. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
38 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.