Assembly Bill A9259

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9259
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             November 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  MAGNARELLI  -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law,  in  relation  to  pre-trip
   safety briefings for motor carriers that operate charter buses
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 9 of section 509-m of the vehicle  and  traffic
 law,  as added by section 9 of part K of chapter 58 of the laws of 2024,
 is amended to read as follows:
   9. (A) In coordination with the commissioner of transportation and the
 superintendent of state police, establish and regularly update the  form
 and  content of a pre-trip safety briefing for motor carriers that oper-
 ate altered motor vehicles commonly referred to as "stretch limousines",
 designed to carry nine or more passengers including the driver  pursuant
 to  operating authority issued by the commissioner of transportation AND
 FOR MOTOR CARRIERS THAT OPERATE  CHARTER  BUSES  PURSUANT  TO  OPERATING
 AUTHORITY  ISSUED  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF TRANSPORTATION, which motor
 carriers shall provide to passengers prior to transporting such  passen-
 gers for hire in such stretch limousines AND SUCH CHARTER BUSES.
   (B)  PRE-TRIP  SAFETY  BRIEFINGS CONDUCTED FOR SUCH STRETCH LIMOUSINES
 AND CHARTER BUSES SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED  TO,  THE  MANDATORY
 USE  OF  SAFETY  BELTS  BY  PASSENGERS WHEN PASSENGER SEAT POSITIONS ARE
 EQUIPPED WITH SAFETY BELTS  APPROVED  BY  AND  CONFORMING  TO  STANDARDS
 ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  AND THE CIVIL FINE FOR VIOLATIONS AS
 PROVIDED BY SECTION TWELVE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE-C OF THIS CHAPTER.
   (C) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "CHARTER BUS" SHALL
 MEAN A BUS TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS FOR COMPENSATION IN A CHARTERED PARTY
 AND THE TERM "CHARTERED PARTY" SHALL MEAN A GROUP OF PERSONS WHO, PURSU-
 ANT TO A COMMON PURPOSE AND UNDER A  SINGLE  CONTRACT  AND  AT  A  FIXED
 CHARGE,  HAVE  ACQUIRED  EXCLUSIVE  USE OF A BUS TO TRAVEL TOGETHER AS A
 GROUP TO A SPECIFIC DESTINATION OR FOR  A  PARTICULAR  ITINERARY  EITHER
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14058-01-5
              

 A. 9259                             2
 
 AGREED UPON IN ADVANCE OR MODIFIED AFTER HAVING LEFT THE PLACE OF ORIGIN
 BY SUCH GROUP.
   §  2.  Paragraph (d) of subdivision 4 of section 1229-c of the vehicle
 and traffic law, as added by chapter 434 of the laws of 2024, is amended
 to read as follows:
   (d) "charter bus" shall mean (I) a bus manufactured or assembled on or
 after November twenty-eighth, two thousand sixteen transporting  passen-
 gers  for compensation in a chartered party, AND (II) A BUS MANUFACTURED
 OR ASSEMBLED PRIOR  TO  NOVEMBER  TWENTY-EIGHTH,  TWO  THOUSAND  SIXTEEN
 TRANSPORTING  PASSENGERS  FOR COMPENSATION IN A CHARTERED PARTY WHICH IS
 EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE SAFETY BELT FOR EACH PASSENGER SEAT  POSITION
 APPROVED BY AND CONFORMING TO STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER;
 and
   §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
 law.