Assembly Bill A9133

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9133
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                            September 26, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the transportation law,  in  relation  to  enacting  the
   "minivan passenger safety and DOT inspection act"
 
   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
 the "minivan passenger safety and DOT inspection act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares:
   a.  Minivans used in commercial passenger transport (including medical
 transport, livery, and  passenger-for-hire  services)  frequently  carry
 more  passengers  and  mileage  than  typical private sedans and station
 wagons.
   b. The current statutory framework does not expressly require semi-an-
 nual department of transportation inspections for minivans used in  such
 commercial  passenger  service,  creating  an  enforcement  gap that may
 compromise public safety.
   c. Uniform inspection requirements for all vehicles used to  transport
 passengers  for  compensation are essential to ensure ongoing safety and
 reliability of the transportation system.
   § 3. The closing paragraph of section 151 of the  transportation  law,
 as  amended by section 8 of part G of chapter 58 of the laws of 2012, is
 amended to read as follows:
   For the purposes of this article, the term "sedan" or "sedans" as used
 herein shall  include  private  passenger  automobiles,  but  shall  not
 include  commercial  motor  vehicles  with  a seating capacity of eleven
 persons or more including the driver, AND SHALL  NOT  INCLUDE  MINIVANS.
 FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, "MINIVAN" SHALL MEAN A MOTOR VEHICLE
 DESIGNED  TO  TRANSPORT  PASSENGERS, WITH SEATING FOR SEVEN TO TEN OCCU-
 PANTS, INCLUDING THE DRIVER, AND PRIMARILY CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE PASSEN-
 GER TRANSPORT.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13769-01-5
              

 A. 9133                             2
 
   § 4. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 140 of the transportation
 law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (vii) to read as follows:
   (VII) ALL MINIVANS USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS FOR
 COMPENSATION.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH, "MINIVAN" SHALL
 MEAN A MOTOR VEHICLE DESIGNED TO TRANSPORT PASSENGERS, WITH SEATING  FOR
 SEVEN  TO  TEN OCCUPANTS, INCLUDING THE DRIVER, AND PRIMARILY CONFIGURED
 TO PROVIDE PASSENGER TRANSPORT. ANY RULES AND REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE
 COMMISSIONER TO GOVERN THE SAFETY AND OPERATION OF SUCH MINIVANS SHALL:
   (A) SPECIFY THE INSPECTION STANDARDS, INTERVALS, AND SCOPE  APPLICABLE
 TO MINIVANS USED FOR PASSENGER TRANSPORT FOR COMPENSATION;
   (B)  SET  FORTH  ENFORCEMENT  PROCEDURES,  PENALTIES, AND REMEDIES FOR
 NONCOMPLIANCE; AND
   (C) PROVIDE FOR ENFORCEMENT COORDINATION WITH LOCAL AND STATE AUTHORI-
 TIES TO ENSURE UNIFORM APPLICATION STATEWIDE.
   § 5. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
 sion, section or part of this act shall be  adjudged  by  any  court  of
 competent  jurisdiction  to  be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall  be  confined  in
 its  operation  to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
 the legislature that this act would  have  been  enacted  even  if  such
 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
   § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
 completed on or before such effective date.