Provides that altered motor vehicles commonly referred to as "stretch limousines" which were altered on or after January 1, 2021, shall have at least two safety belts for the front seat and at least one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such vehicle was designed.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6191--C
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 21, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sens. KENNEDY, BRESLIN, CARLUCCI, GAUGHRAN, KAPLAN, LIU,
PARKER, SEWARD, TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation -- reported
favorably from said committee, ordered to first report, amended on
first report, ordered to a second report and ordered reprinted,
retaining its place in the order of second report -- recommitted to
the Committee on Transportation in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec.
8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the instal-
lation of safety belts in stretch limousines, and the posting of
notice therein
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 383 of the vehi-
2 cle and traffic law, as added by chapter 86 of the laws of 1968, is
3 amended and a new paragraph (d) is added to read as follows:
4 (c) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January
5 first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt for each
6 passenger seat position[.];
7 (d) An altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limou-
8 sine" which was altered on or after January first, two thousand twenty-
9 one, at least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one
10 safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat
11 of such vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each
12 passenger seat position.
13 § 2. Section 383 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a
14 new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11415-06-0
S. 6191--C 2
1 1-a. No altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch
2 limousine" which was altered prior to January first, two thousand twen-
3 ty-one shall be sold or registered in this state and no such altered
4 motor vehicle altered prior to January first, two thousand twenty-one
5 registered in this state shall be operated in this state unless such
6 vehicle is retrofitted and equipped with safety belts approved by and
7 conforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows: at
8 least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one safety belt
9 for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such
10 vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each passenger
11 seat position.
12 § 3. Subdivision 4-b of section 383 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
13 added by chapter 495 of the laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
14 4-b. Taxicabs [and], liveries, and stretch limousines. All seat safe-
15 ty belts installed in a taxicab or livery vehicle or in an altered motor
16 vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" pursuant to this
17 section shall be clearly visible, accessible and maintained in good
18 working order, and no seat safety belt installed in such taxicab or
19 livery vehicle or altered motor vehicle shall be removed therefrom.
20 § 4. Subdivision 51 of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
21 added by chapter 495 of the laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
22 51. Taxicab [and], livery and stretch limousine notices. (a) Every
23 taxicab [and], livery, and altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as
24 a "stretch limousine" which was altered on or after January first, two
25 thousand twenty-one or retrofitted pursuant to subdivision one-a of
26 section three hundred eighty-three of this article registered in this
27 state shall have posted therein the following notice: "Seatbelts must be
28 available for your use. Please buckle up."
29 (b) The notices required to be posted pursuant to paragraph (a) of
30 this subdivision shall be posted in a manner legible and conspicuous to
31 passengers in all seating positions of such vehicles.
32 § 5. Severability. If any clause, sentence, subdivision, paragraph,
33 section or part of this act be adjudged by any court of competent juris-
34 diction to be invalid, or if any federal agency determines in writing
35 that this act would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of
36 federal funds, such judgment or written determination shall not affect,
37 impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its
38 operation to the clause, sentence, subdivision, paragraph, section or
39 part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment
40 or written determination shall have been rendered.
41 § 6. This act shall take effect January 1, 2021; provided, however,
42 that section two of this act shall take effect two years after this act
43 shall have become a law; provided, further, this act shall be deemed
44 repealed if any federal agency determines in writing that this act would
45 render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any
46 court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that this act would
47 render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation.
48 The commissioner of motor vehicles or the commissioner of transportation
49 shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occur-
50 rence of any federal agency determining in writing that this act would
51 render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any
52 court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that this act would
53 render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation
54 in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effec-
55 tive data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York
56 in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the
S. 6191--C 3
1 legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law. Effective
2 immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regu-
3 lation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
4 date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective
5 date.