S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  7916

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              June 1, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GANTT  -- (at request of the Office of Court
  Administration) -- read once and referred to the Committee  on  Trans-
  portation

AN  ACT  to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the alcoholic beverage
  control  law,  in  relation  to  authorizing  suspension  of  driver's
  licenses for unjustified failure to attend court on charge of underage
  possession of alcohol or comply with court conditions after conviction
  for such offense

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraph k of subdivision 3 of section 510 of the  vehicle
and  traffic  law,  as  amended  by  chapter 124 of the laws of 1992, is
amended and a new paragraph l is added to read as follows:
  k. for a period of up to ninety days because of the conviction of  the
holder  of  the offenses of menacing as defined in section 120.15 of the
penal law, where such offense was committed against a  traffic  enforce-
ment agent employed by the city of New York or the city of Buffalo while
such  agent  was  enforcing  or  attempting to enforce the traffic regu-
lations of such city[.];
  L. FOR FAILING TO APPEAR BEFORE THE COURT OR PAY A FINE OR TO COMPLETE
AN ALCOHOL AWARENESS PROGRAM OR COMPLETE COMMUNITY  SERVICE  IMPOSED  BY
THE  COURT  PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE-C OF THE
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW.
  S 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 4-a of section 510  of  the  vehicle
and  traffic  law, as added by section 10 of part J of chapter 62 of the
laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  (a) Upon receipt of a court notification of the failure of a person to
appear within sixty days of the return date or new subsequent  adjourned
date,  pursuant  to  an  appearance  ticket  charging said person with a
violation of any of the provisions of this chapter (except one for park-
ing, stopping, or standing), of any violation  of  the  tax  law  or  OF

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10009-01-5
              

A. 7916                             2

SUBDIVISION  THREE  OF  SECTION  SIXTY-FIVE-C  OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE
CONTROL LAW OR of the transportation law regulating traffic  or  of  any
lawful  ordinance  or  regulation  made  by a local or public authority,
relating  to  traffic (except one for parking, stopping, or standing) or
the failure to pay a fine imposed by a  court,  OR  IN  THE  CASE  OF  A
VIOLATION  OF SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE-C OF THE ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW, THE  FAILURE  TO  COMPLETE  AN  ALCOHOL  AWARENESS
PROGRAM OR COMPLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE IMPOSED BY THE COURT AS A SENTENCE
FOR SUCH VIOLATION, the commissioner or his or her agent may suspend the
driver's  license or privileges of such person pending receipt of notice
from the court that such person has appeared in response to such appear-
ance ticket or has paid such fine OR COMPLETED  SUCH  ALCOHOL  AWARENESS
PROGRAM  OR COMMUNITY SERVICE. Such suspension shall take effect no less
than thirty days from the day upon which notice thereof is sent  by  the
commissioner  to  the person whose driver's license or privileges are to
be suspended. Any suspension issued pursuant to this paragraph shall  be
subject  to  the  provisions  of  paragraph  (j-l) of subdivision two of
section five hundred three of this [chapter] TITLE.
  S 3. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph (j-1) of subdivision 2  of  section
503  of  the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 3 of part PP
of chapter 59 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
  (i) When a license issued pursuant to this article, or a privilege  of
operating  a  motor  vehicle  or  of  obtaining such a license, has been
suspended based upon a failure to  answer  an  appearance  ticket  or  a
summons or failure to pay a fine, penalty or mandatory surcharge, pursu-
ant  to subdivision three of section two hundred twenty-six, subdivision
four of section two hundred twenty-seven[, subdivision four-a of section
five hundred ten] or subdivision five-a of section eighteen hundred nine
of this chapter, OR UPON A FAILURE TO ANSWER  AN  APPEARANCE  TICKET  OR
SUMMONS,  PAY  A FINE, COMPLETE AN ALCOHOL AWARENESS PROGRAM OR COMPLETE
COMMUNITY SERVICE IMPOSED BY A COURT PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION  FOUR-A  OF
SECTION  FIVE HUNDRED TEN OF THIS TITLE, such suspension shall remain in
effect until a termination of a suspension fee  of  seventy  dollars  is
paid  to  the  court  or  tribunal that initiated the suspension of such
license or privilege. In no event may the aggregate of the fees  imposed
by an individual court pursuant to this paragraph for the termination of
all  suspensions  that  may  be  terminated  as  a  result of a person's
answers, appearances or payments made in such cases pending before  such
individual  court  exceed four hundred dollars. For the purposes of this
paragraph, the various locations of the administrative  tribunal  estab-
lished  under article two-A of this chapter shall be considered an indi-
vidual court.
  S 4. Subdivision 3 of section 65-c of the alcoholic  beverage  control
law,  as  amended by chapter 137 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read
as follows:
  3. Any person who unlawfully  possesses  an  alcoholic  beverage  with
intent  to consume may be summoned before and examined by a court having
jurisdiction of that charge; provided, however, that  nothing  contained
herein shall authorize, or be construed to authorize, a peace officer as
defined  in  subdivision  thirty-three  of  section 1.20 of the criminal
procedure law or a police officer as defined in subdivision  thirty-four
of  section 1.20 of such law to arrest a person who unlawfully possesses
an alcoholic beverage with intent to consume. If a determination is made
sustaining such charge the court may impose a fine not  exceeding  fifty
dollars  and/or  completion  of an alcohol awareness program established
pursuant to section 19.25 of the mental hygiene law and/or an  appropri-

A. 7916                             3

ate amount of community service not to exceed thirty hours.  IN ADDITION
TO  ANY FINE, ALCOHOL AWARENESS PROGRAM AND/OR COMMUNITY SERVICE IMPOSED
BY THE COURT PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION, THE COURT MAY SUSPEND  THE  DRIV-
ER'S  LICENSE  OF ANY PERSON WHO FAILS TO APPEAR BEFORE THE COURT, PAY A
FINE, COMPLETE  AN  ALCOHOL  AWARENESS  PROGRAM  OR  COMPLETE  COMMUNITY
SERVICE  PURSUANT  TO THIS SECTION WITHIN THE PERIOD OF TIME ESTABLISHED
BY THE COURT. SUCH SUSPENSION SHALL BE MADE UPON NOTICE TO  SUCH  PERSON
AND SHALL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL SUCH PERSON APPEARS IN COURT, PAYS SUCH
FINE  OR COMPLETES SUCH PROGRAM OR COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE SATISFACTION
OF THE COURT.
  S 5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
ing  the  date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply where
the unlawful possession of an alcoholic beverage with intent to  consume
occurred on or after such effective date.