Assembly Bill A11386

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11386
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             October 22, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  COMMITTEE  ON  RULES  -- (at request of M. of A. Paulin,
   Santabarbara, Fahy, McDonald) -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to establish the  passenger  safety  task  force  on  safety  for
   passengers transported by stretch limousines
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Passenger safety task force. 1. The passenger  safety  task
 force  (the  "task  force")  is hereby established, and shall consist of
 twenty members including two co-chairs who will share joint responsibil-
 ity for carrying out its charge. The chairs shall be the commissioner of
 the New York state department of motor vehicles, or his or her designee,
 and the commissioner of the New York state department of transportation,
 or his or her designee. The additional eighteen members shall include:
   a. eleven representatives, each of whom shall be an owner  or  commer-
 cial  operator  of  stretch  limousines from each of the eleven New York
 state department of transportation regions;
   b. the superintendent of the New York state  police,  or  his  or  her
 designee;
   c.  two members who shall be appointed by the governor, one of whom is
 a community safety advocate;
   d. two members who shall be appointed by the  temporary  president  of
 the senate, one of whom is a community safety advocate; and
   e.  two members who shall by appointed by the speaker of the assembly,
 one of whom is a community safety advocate.
   2. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.
   3. The task force shall undertake a review of the actions and measures
 that are needed to ensure safe, adequate, efficient and reliable passen-
 ger transportation by stretch limousine and shall issue a  final  report
 and make recommendations regarding:
   a.  the  promotion of enhanced coordination and uniformity between the
 New York state department of motor  vehicles  and  the  New  York  state
 department  of transportation regarding the regulation of stretch limou-
 sines;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD16649-02-8

 A. 11386                            2
 
   b. the establishment and adoption of a uniform safety training program
 for drivers. Such program should include a component which  shall  train
 drivers  to  conduct  a safety demonstration with passengers instructing
 them on the use of seatbelts and any other relevant safety measures that
 may be deemed useful;
   c. the appropriateness of extending federal regulations that currently
 apply  to  bus drivers to stretch limousines, including, but not limited
 to extending the requirement for alcohol and drug testing to drivers  of
 vehicles with ten occupants or more;
   d.  establishing  a  limit  on  the  maximum  allowable time frame for
 stretch limousines to be permitted to operate on state roadways, includ-
 ing a possible limit of ten years or 350,000 miles;
   e. the need for additional safety measures, including  traffic  safety
 measures  such  as prohibiting drivers from making U-turns or the use of
 hands-free devices while operating a stretch limousine except  in  cases
 of  emergency  or  for  purposes of dispatch, and requiring that certain
 safety features be installed in these vehicles, including but not limit-
 ed to requiring multiple anti-intrusion  bars  in  side  panels,  carbon
 monoxide monitors, and rear view cameras; and
   f. increasing the minimum age for drivers to obtain a license to oper-
 ate stretch limousines.
   4. The task force shall, within six months of convening, issue a final
 report  and  recommendations to the governor, the temporary president of
 the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
   5. For the purposes of this section, "stretch  limousine"  shall  mean
 any  for  hire  vehicle  with  a chassis which was manufactured and then
 altered for the purpose of transporting ten or more occupants, including
 the driver.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.