S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1904
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. COLTON, MILLER, BUTTENSCHON, DeSTEFANO, SAYEGH,
   HYNDMAN, EPSTEIN, STECK -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.  RIVERA  --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to affixing the
   designation  "qualified  hybrid  vehicle"  and the estimated miles per
   gallon of such vehicle as calculated by  the  United  States  environ-
   mental protection agency onto all car registration forms
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 section 125-b to read as follows:
   §  125-B.  QUALIFIED  HYBRID  VEHICLE. A QUALIFIED HYBRID VEHICLE IS A
 MOTOR VEHICLE AS DEFINED IN SECTION  ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-FIVE  OF  THIS
 ARTICLE,  OTHER  THAN  AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE, THAT DRAWS PROPULSION ENERGY
 FROM BOTH AN INTERNAL  COMBUSTION  ENGINE  (OR  HEAT  ENGINE  THAT  USES
 COMBUSTIVE  FUEL)  AND AN ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE, AND EMPLOYS A REGENERA-
 TIVE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM THAT RECOVERS WASTE ENERGY  TO  CHARGE  SUCH
 ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE.
   §  2.  Subparagraphs  (e)  and  (f) of paragraph b of subdivision 1 of
 section 401 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 222 of
 the laws of 1996, are amended to read as follows:
   (e) provided, that, if such motor vehicle is an  altered  livery,  the
 applicant  shall so furnish a certified copy of the length of the center
 panel of such vehicle, provided, however, that  the  commissioner  shall
 require  such  proof,  as [he] SUCH COMMISSIONER may determine is neces-
 sary, in the application for registration and provided further,  if  the
 center panel of such vehicle exceeds one hundred inches, the commission-
 er  shall  require  proof  that  such  vehicle is in compliance with all
 applicable federal and state motor vehicle safety standards;  [and]  (f)
 PROVIDED, THAT, IF SUCH MOTOR VEHICLE IS A "QUALIFIED HYBRID VEHICLE" AS
 DEFINED IN SECTION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE-B OF THIS CHAPTER, THE APPLI-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05500-01-5
              

 A. 1904                             2
 
 CANT  SHALL  FURNISH  PROOF  TO THE COMMISSIONER, IN THE APPLICATION FOR
 REGISTRATION, OR OTHERWISE, OF THE MAKE, MODEL AND MODEL  YEAR  OF  SUCH
 APPLICANT'S MOTOR VEHICLE. IF SUCH PROOF HAS BEEN SUBMITTED, SUCH APPLI-
 CANT'S  CERTIFICATE  OF REGISTRATION SHALL CONTAIN A DISTINGUISHING MARK
 WHICH SHALL DESIGNATE SUCH APPLICANT'S MOTOR  VEHICLE  AS  A  "QUALIFIED
 HYBRID  VEHICLE,"  AND  SHALL  ALSO  DISPLAY SUCH MOTOR VEHICLE'S UNITED
 STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HIGHWAY FUEL  ECONOMY  RATING  OF
 FORTY-FIVE  MILES PER GALLON OR MORE. THE COMMISSIONER IS HEREBY AUTHOR-
 IZED TO PROMULGATE ANY RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMEN-
 TATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH; AND (G)  such  additional
 facts or evidence as the commissioner may require in connection with the
 application for registration.
   §  3.  Paragraph  a of subdivision 3 of section 401 of the vehicle and
 traffic law, as amended by section 1 of part H of chapter 59 of the laws
 of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   a. Upon filing of such application and the payment of the fee  herein-
 after  provided,  the  commissioner shall assign to such motor vehicle a
 distinctive number and, without expense  to  the  applicant,  issue  and
 deliver  in  such  manner  as the commissioner may select to the owner a
 certificate of registration, in such  form  as  the  commissioner  shall
 prescribe[,].  SUCH  CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION SHALL CONTAIN A DISTIN-
 GUISHING MARK WHICH SHALL DESIGNATE SUCH MOTOR VEHICLE AS  A  "QUALIFIED
 HYBRID  VEHICLE" AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE-B OF THIS
 CHAPTER, PURSUANT TO SUBPARAGRAPH (F) OF PARAGRAPH B OF SUBDIVISION  ONE
 OF  THIS SECTION, AND SHALL CONTAIN ADEQUATE SPACE UPON WHICH SUCH MOTOR
 VEHICLE'S UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL  PROTECTION  AGENCY  HIGHWAY  FUEL
 ECONOMY  RATING  OF  FORTY-FIVE  MILES  PER  GALLON  OR  MORE  SHALL  BE
 DISPLAYED. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ALSO  ISSUE  and  DELIVER  two  number
 plates at a place within the state of New York named by the applicant in
 [his  or  her]  THE  APPLICANT'S application. A number plate, within the
 meaning of this chapter, may, in the discretion of the commissioner,  be
 a  plate  of  a  permanent  nature,  treated with reflectorized material
 according to specifications prescribed by the commissioner, and  with  a
 date tag attached to such plate or to the vehicle as prescribed by regu-
 lations  of the commissioner indicating the validity of the plate during
 a certain period and the issuance of such a number plate with such  date
 tag to a person possessing such a number plate shall be deemed the issu-
 ance  of  a  number  plate. An additional fee, not to exceed twenty-five
 dollars, shall be paid to the commissioner whenever a set of  reflector-
 ized  number  plates  is issued for any vehicle for which a registration
 fee is normally charged except that, with respect to  any  number  plate
 which is specifically requested by the applicant, such fee shall be paid
 to  the  commissioner upon approval of such request. In the event of the
 loss, mutilation or destruction of any certificate of registration,  any
 number  plate or set of number plates whether with or without a date tag
 or tags, or any date tag or set of date tags provided for in this  arti-
 cle, the owner of a registered motor vehicle may file such statement and
 proof  of  the  facts  as  the commissioner shall require, with a fee of
 three dollars, in the office of the commissioner, or, unless  and  until
 the  commissioner shall otherwise direct, in the office of the agent who
 issued the certificate, plate, plates, tag or tags and the  commissioner
 or  [his  or  her]  THE  COMMISSIONER'S agent, as the case may be, shall
 issue a duplicate or substitute. It shall be the  duty  of  every  owner
 holding  a  certificate  of  registration  to notify the commissioner in
 writing of any change of residence of such person within ten days  after
 A. 1904                             3
 
 such  change  occurs,  and to inscribe on such certificate, in the place
 provided by the commissioner, a record of such change of residence.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.