Senate Bill S4897

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4897

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a central business district toll exemption for certain emergency medical
technicians and fire protection inspectors

 
PURPOSE:

To provide an exemption for certain emergency medical technicians
("EMTs") and certain fire protection inspectors ("FPIs"), who work for
the City of New York or the New York City Fire Department ("FDNY"), from
the central business district toll.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill would add a new subdivision 5 to § 1704-a of the
Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide an exemption from the central busi-
ness district toll for any EMT employed by the City of New York or the
FDNY; and for any FPI employed by the City of New York or the FDNY.
              

Section 2 provides that the bill shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Central Business District Tolling Zone extends from 60th Street in
Manhattan to the southern tip of Manhattan, with some exceptions.  Under
newly enacted law, passenger vehicles entering or remaining in the
Central Business District are charged a toll. The existing statute
provides an exemption to this toll for any "qualified authorized emer-
gency vehicle," which is defined to include ambulances, emergency ambu-
lance service vehicles, fire vehicles, and other such vehicles that are
used by EMTs and FPIs to provide essential and often life-saving
services to the public. However, many emergency vehicles are held and
maintained in stations within the Central Business District Tolling
Zone, and are not driven by EMTs and FPIs from their respective resi-
dences, which are largely outside of the Tolling Zone.

This bill would clarify that EMTs and FPIs who travel to stations within
the Tolling Zone to fulfill their duty of serving the public will not
incur a toll. Otherwise, an EMT or FPI stationed in the Tolling Zone may
pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in tolls each year. Failure to
clarify that the exemption exists for EMTs and FPIs traveling to perform
their duty will create a disincentive for such emergency workers to
accept assignments in the Tolling Zone.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately.