S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9224--A
I N S E N A T E
May 6, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. MURRAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation -- commit-
tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
mitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
"Elijah's law"; and directing the commissioner of the department of
motor vehicles to conduct a study analyzing the operation and use of
certain vehicles
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
"Elijah's law".
§ 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 2 of section 502 of the vehicle and
traffic law, as amended by chapter 215 of the laws of 2010, is amended
to read as follows:
(c) An applicant for a class D or M license shall be at least eighteen
years of age[, except that an application shall be accepted if the
applicant is at least seventeen years of age and submits]. AN APPLICANT
FOR A CLASS M LICENSE MUST SUBMIT ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF AT LEAST TEN HOURS
EXPERIENCE OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A DRIVING
SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR OR OTHER MOTORCYCLE SAFETY DRIVING COURSE INSTRUCTOR
APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT. AN APPLICANT FOR A CLASS M LICENSE MUST ALSO
SUBMIT PROOF OF COMPLETION OF THE NEW YORK SAFETY COUNCIL'S DEFENSIVE
DRIVING COURSE, THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION'S MOTORCYCLE BASIC
RIDER COURSE OR A SIMILAR COURSE APPROVED BY THE STATE EDUCATION DEPART-
MENT AND THE COMMISSIONER. ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT acceptable proof
of successful completion of a driver education course, approved by the
state education department and the commissioner, and proof of completion
of the minimum hours of supervised driving as required in paragraph (d)
of this subdivision.
§ 3. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 2 of section 502 of the vehicle and
traffic law, as amended by chapter 368 of the laws of 2019, is amended
to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15399-04-4
S. 9224--A 2
(d) An applicant for a class DJ or MJ license shall be at least
sixteen years of age and such applicant must submit written consent to
the issuance of such license by the applicant's parent or guardian. Upon
receipt of withdrawal of such consent, any class DJ or MJ license,
learner's permit or license application shall be cancelled. No class DJ
or MJ license shall be issued unless the applicant presents, at the time
of the road test administered pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision
four of this section, a written certification by the applicant's parent
or guardian: (i) that such applicant has operated a motor vehicle for no
less than fifty hours, at least fifteen hours of which shall be after
sunset, under the immediate supervision of a person as authorized pursu-
ant to subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of subdivi-
sion five of section five hundred one of this article, a driver educa-
tion teacher pursuant to section eight hundred six-a of the education
law or a driving school instructor pursuant to subdivision seven-a of
section three hundred ninety-four of this chapter; and (ii) if such
applicant completed an internet delivered pre-licensing course approved
by the commissioner pursuant to article [twelve-d] TWELVE-D of this
chapter, that such applicant participated throughout such course. AN
APPLICANT FOR A CLASS MJ LICENSE MUST ALSO SUBMIT PROOF OF COMPLETION OF
THE NEW YORK SAFETY COUNCIL'S DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE, THE MOTORCYCLE
SAFETY FOUNDATION'S MOTORCYCLE BASIC RIDER COURSE OR A SIMILAR COURSE
APPROVED BY THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSIONER. AN
APPLICANT FOR AN MJ LICENSE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT ACCEPTABLE PROOF
OF AT LEAST FIFTEEN HOURS EXPERIENCE OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE UNDER THE
SUPERVISION OF A DRIVING SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR OR OTHER MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
DRIVING COURSE INSTRUCTOR APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
§ 4. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 2 of section 502 of the vehicle and
traffic law, as amended by chapter 403 of the laws of 2009, is amended
to read as follows:
(d) An applicant for a class DJ or MJ license shall be at least
sixteen years of age and such applicant must submit written consent to
the issuance of such license by the applicant's parent or guardian. Upon
receipt of withdrawal of such consent, any class DJ or MJ license,
learner's permit or license application shall be cancelled. No class DJ
or MJ license shall be issued unless the applicant presents, at the time
of the road test administered pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision
four of this section, a written certification by the applicant's parent
or guardian that such applicant has operated a motor vehicle for no less
than fifty hours, at least fifteen hours of which shall be after sunset,
under the immediate supervision of a person as authorized pursuant to
subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of subdivision five
of section five hundred one of this article, a driver education teacher
pursuant to section eight hundred six-a of the education law or a driv-
ing school instructor pursuant to subdivision seven-a of section three
hundred ninety-four of this chapter. AN APPLICANT FOR A CLASS MJ LICENSE
MUST ALSO SUBMIT PROOF OF COMPLETION OF THE NEW YORK SAFETY COUNCIL'S
DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE, THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION'S MOTORCYCLE
BASIC RIDER COURSE OR A SIMILAR COURSE APPROVED BY THE STATE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSIONER. AN APPLICANT FOR AN MJ LICENSE SHALL BE
REQUIRED TO SUBMIT ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF AT LEAST FIFTEEN HOURS EXPERIENCE
OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A DRIVING SCHOOL
INSTRUCTOR OR OTHER MOTORCYCLE SAFETY DRIVING COURSE INSTRUCTOR APPROVED
BY THE DEPARTMENT.
§ 5. 1. The commissioner of the department of motor vehicles shall
conduct a study analyzing the operation and use of standard motorcycles,
S. 9224--A 3
heavy motorcycles, mopeds, other light motorcycles, electric bikes in
classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 and electric and non-electric powered scooters.
Such study shall examine:
a. The prevalence of ownership and use of all such vehicles in the
state; and
b. The incidents and trends of violations of traffic laws and crashes
involving all such vehicles.
2. The commissioner shall make a report of the findings of such study,
including any recommendations. Such recommendations may include, but not
be limited to:
a. Increased safety education course requirements for permit and
license applications for operation of the vehicles studied;
b. Increased age restrictions in operation of any of such types of
vehicles; and
c. The implementation or enhancement of safety gear requirements for
operation of all such vehicles.
3. The commissioner's recommendations and a report on such study shall
be provided to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the tempo-
rary president of the senate within six months of the effective date of
this act.
§ 6. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
have become a law; provided that the amendments to paragraph (d) of
subdivision 2 of section 502 of the vehicle and traffic law made by
section three of this act shall be subject to the expiration and rever-
sion of such paragraph pursuant to section 3 of chapter 368 of the laws
of 2019, as amended, when upon such date the provisions of section four
of this act shall take effect. Effective immediately, the addition,
amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the
implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be
made and completed on or before such effective date.