NY State Senate Bill 2017-S5910

Senate Bill S5910

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Prohibits rental vehicle companies from imposing any fees, charges or penalties, other than the actual cost of a toll, on an authorized driver for such driver's use of a rental vehicle

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Consumer Protection Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to consumer protection
May 05, 2017	referred to consumer protection

2017-S5910 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Consumer Protection
Law Section:: General Business Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §396-z, Gen Bus L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S5543
2019-2020: S1843, S1974
2021-2022: S363
2023-2024: S1533

2017-S5910 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits rental vehicle companies from imposing any fees, charges or penalties, other than the actual cost of a toll, on an authorized driver for such driver's use of a rental vehicle.

2017-S5910 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S5910

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the general business law, in
relation to prohibiting rental vehicle companies from imposing any
fees, charges or penalties, other than the actual cost of a toll, on
an authorized driver for such driver's use of a rental vehicle

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of the bill amends section 396-z of the general business law
by adding a new section 13-b. This new section would prevent rental
vehicle companies from charging any fees, charges or penalties, other
than the actual cost of a toll, on an authorized driver for that
driver's use of a rental vehicle through a toll collection facility
that uses an electronic toll collection system.

Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

New York State has begun the transition away from traditional
tollbooths on our roads towards an automatic tolling system. The
system uses a camera to take a picture of the vehicle's license plate,
and subsequently sends the bill to the driver of the vehicle.  The new
system helps to ease traffic congestion, helps the environment by
reducing emissions from idling cars in lines, and saves hours of

driving time for commuters.

An unintended consequence of this technology is some rental car
companies treat camera-generated bills as traffic violations, such as
when a driver passes through a red light that is equipped with a
camera. The bill is outsourced to another company that charges the
renter of the car the fee for the toll, and a processing fee on top of
the original toll fee. This practice forces renters to pay more than
their fair share for travel.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that tollbooths will be removed
from all Metropolitan Transportation Authority bridges and tunnels
starting in 2017. As New York abandons traditional tollbooths for the
new electronic system, the issue of unfairly imposed fees from
camera-generated tolls will affect more New Yorkers who choose to rent
a car to travel.

By refusing to allow rental car companies to impose any fees, charges,
or penalties other than the actual cost of a toll, this bill will
eliminate the inequity between drivers using their personal vehicles,
and those travelling in rental vehicles.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become law; provided that the amendments to section 396-z of the
general business law made by section one of this act shall survive the
expiration and reversion of such section as provided in section 4 of
chapter 656 of the laws of 2002, as amended.

2017-S5910 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5910
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 5, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
 
 AN ACT to amend the general business law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting
   rental vehicle companies from imposing any fees, charges or penalties,
   other than the actual cost of a toll, on an authorized driver for such
   driver's use of a rental vehicle
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 396-Z of the general business  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 13-b to read as follows:
   13-B.  A  RENTAL VEHICLE COMPANY SHALL NOT IMPOSE ANY FEES, CHARGES OR
 PENALTIES, OTHER THAN THE ACTUAL COST OF A TOLL, ON AN AUTHORIZED DRIVER
 FOR SUCH DRIVER'S USE OF A RENTAL  VEHICLE  THROUGH  A  TOLL  COLLECTION
 FACILITY  THAT UTILIZES AN ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM, AS DEFINED
 IN SECTION TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE  OF  THE  PUBLIC  AUTHORITIES
 LAW, OR A PHOTO-MONITORING SYSTEM FOR THE PAYMENT OF TOLLS.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law; provided that the amendments to section 396-z of  the
 general  business  law made by section one of this act shall survive the
 expiration and reversion of such section as provided  in  section  4  of
 chapter 656 of the laws of 2002, as amended.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11316-01-7

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