Assembly Bill A3198

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3198
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 23, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to fees charged
   for the issuance of number plates; and to amend the correction law, in
   relation to requiring a report on the costs of  manufacturing  license
   plates

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. 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, and two number plates at a place within the state of New York
 named  by  the applicant in [his or her] SUCH 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 vehi-
 cle as prescribed by regulations  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 issuance of a number plate. An additional fee,
 not to exceed [twenty-five dollars] THE ACTUAL COST OF  MANUFACTURING  A
 NUMBER  PLATE,  shall  be  paid  to  the  commissioner whenever a set of
 reflectorized number plates is issued for any vehicle for which a regis-
 tration fee is normally charged except that, with respect to any  number
 plate  which  is specifically requested by the applicant, such fee shall
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06271-01-5
              

 A. 3198                             2
 
 be paid to the commissioner upon approval of such request. In the  event
 of  the  loss, mutilation or destruction of any certificate of registra-
 tion, 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 article, 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] SUCH 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  such  change  occurs, and to inscribe on such certificate, in the
 place provided by the commissioner, a record of  such  change  of  resi-
 dence.
   §  2.  Subdivision  3 of section 403 of the vehicle and traffic law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows:
   D. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH A OF THIS  SUBDIVISION,
 NO  SUCH  ONE-TIME  FEE  SHALL  BE CHARGED FOR ANY PLATES REQUIRED TO BE
 REPLACED DUE TO ANY NUMBER  PLATE  DESIGN  CHANGES  IMPLEMENTED  BY  THE
 COMMISSIONER.
   §  3.  The  opening  paragraph  of subdivision 2 of section 186 of the
 correction law, as amended by section 29 of subpart A of part C of chap-
 ter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   The prices established by the commissioner shall be based  upon  costs
 as  determined  pursuant  to  this  subdivision,  but shall not exceed a
 reasonable fair market price determined at or within ninety days  before
 the  time  of  sale. Fair market price as used herein means the price at
 which a vendor of the same or similar product or service who is regular-
 ly engaged in the business of selling such product or service offers  to
 sell  such  a product or service under similar terms in the same market.
 However, the price established by the commissioner  for  license  plates
 sold  to  the  New  York  state department of motor vehicles shall in no
 event exceed an amount approved by the director of the budget. BEGINNING
 APRIL FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-FIVE,  AND  ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER,  THE
 COMMISSIONER  SHALL  REPORT TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUDGET, THE TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND SPEAKER OF THE  ASSEMBLY  ON  THE  COSTS  OF
 MANUFACTURING SUCH LICENSE PLATES.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.