Senate Bill S214

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    214
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. HELMING, TEDISCO -- 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 the  display
   of blue and green lights on certain motor vehicles

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraph a of paragraph 4 and subparagraph (a) of para-
 graph 5 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law,
 subparagraph a of paragraph 4 as amended by section 1 of part C of chap-
 ter 58 of the laws of 2020, and  subparagraph  (a)  of  paragraph  5  as
 amended  by  chapter  71  of  the  laws  of 2024, are amended to read as
 follows:
   a. One OR MORE blue [light] LIGHTS may be affixed to any motor vehicle
 owned by a volunteer member of a fire department or on a  motor  vehicle
 owned by a member of such person's family residing in the same household
 or  by  a  business  enterprise  in  which such person has a proprietary
 interest or by which [he or she] SUCH PERSON is employed, provided  such
 volunteer firefighter has been authorized in writing to so affix [a] ONE
 OR  MORE  blue  [light]  LIGHTS  by  the chief of the fire department or
 company of which [he or she] SUCH PERSON is  a  member,  which  authori-
 zation  shall  be  subject  to  revocation  at any time by the chief who
 issued the same or [his or her] SUCH PERSON'S successor in office.  Such
 blue [light] LIGHTS may be displayed exclusively by such volunteer fire-
 fighter  on  such a vehicle only when engaged in an emergency operation.
 The use of blue lights on vehicles shall be restricted for use only by a
 volunteer firefighter except as otherwise provided for in  subparagraphs
 b and b-1 of this paragraph.
   (a) One OR MORE green [light] LIGHTS may be affixed to any motor vehi-
 cle owned by a member of a volunteer ambulance service or by a member of
 a  mobile  crisis  team, or on a motor vehicle owned by a member of such
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00563-01-5
 S. 214                              2
 
 person's family, or by a business enterprise in which such person has  a
 proprietary  interest or by which [he] SUCH PERSON is employed, provided
 such member of a volunteer ambulance  service  has  been  authorized  in
 writing  to  so  affix [a] ONE OR MORE green [light] LIGHTS by the chief
 officer of such  service  as  designated  by  the  members  thereof,  or
 provided  such  member  of  a  mobile crisis team has been authorized in
 writing to so affix [a] ONE OR MORE green [light] LIGHTS by  the  mobile
 crisis  team's  director  or  similar  role,  provided further that such
 director or similar role or their successor  may  revoke  such  authori-
 zation  at  any  time. Such green [light] LIGHTS may be displayed exclu-
 sively by such member of a volunteer ambulance service, or a member of a
 deployed mobile crisis team, only when engaged in  an  emergency  opera-
 tion.  The  use  of green lights on vehicles shall be restricted for use
 only by a member of a volunteer ambulance  service  or  a  member  of  a
 mobile crisis team as provided for in this paragraph except as otherwise
 provided for in subparagraph (c) of this paragraph.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.