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Senate Bill S10511

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle resulting in death

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

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2025-S10511 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Transportation
Law Section:
Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §511, V & T L

2025-S10511 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the "Bryant Ortiz act"; establishes the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle resulting in death when such person operates a motor vehicle upon a public highway without a valid license or in violation of the conditions of a learner's permit or any other limited driving privilege, including conditional and restricted use licenses, and in the course of such unlawful operation commits a traffic infraction or engages in negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and such operation results in the death of another person; makes it a class E felony.

2025-S10511 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S10511 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10511
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
   the crime of  aggravated  unlicensed  operation  of  a  motor  vehicle
   resulting in death
 
   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 "Bryant Ortiz act".
   §  2.  The  section  heading of section 511 of the vehicle and traffic
 law,  as added by chapter 756 of the laws of 1985, is amended and a  new
 subdivision 3-a is added to read as follows:
   Operation  while  license or privilege is suspended or revoked; aggra-
 vated unlicensed operation; AGGRAVATED UNLICENSED OPERATION OF  A  MOTOR
 VEHICLE RESULTING IN DEATH.
   3-A.  AGGRAVATED  UNLICENSED OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE RESULTING IN
 DEATH. (A) A PERSON IS GUILTY OF THE OFFENSE  OF  AGGRAVATED  UNLICENSED
 OPERATION  OF  A MOTOR VEHICLE RESULTING IN DEATH WHEN SUCH PERSON OPER-
 ATES A MOTOR VEHICLE UPON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY WITHOUT A VALID LICENSE OR IN
 VIOLATION OF THE CONDITIONS OF A LEARNER'S PERMIT OR ANY  OTHER  LIMITED
 DRIVING  PRIVILEGE,  INCLUDING  CONDITIONAL AND RESTRICTED USE LICENSES,
 AND IN THE COURSE OF SUCH UNLAWFUL OPERATION COMMITS A  TRAFFIC  INFRAC-
 TION  OR  ENGAGES  IN  NEGLIGENT  OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND SUCH
 OPERATION RESULTS IN THE DEATH OF ANOTHER PERSON.
   (B) AGGRAVATED UNLICENSED OPERATION OF A MOTOR  VEHICLE  RESULTING  IN
 DEATH IS A CLASS E FELONY. WHEN A PERSON IS CONVICTED OF THIS CRIME, THE
 SENTENCE  OF  THE  COURT  MUST BE: (I) A FINE IN AN AMOUNT NOT LESS THAN
 FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS NOR MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND  DOLLARS;  AND  (II)  A
 TERM OF IMPRISONMENT AS PROVIDED IN THE PENAL LAW FOR A CLASS E FELONY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15754-02-6

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