NY State Senate Bill 2025-S5490

Senate Bill S5490

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows persons in recovery to have a distinguishing mark printed on their license for cases of medical emergencies

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 21, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S5490 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §504, V & T L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7613

2025-S5490 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows persons in recovery to have a distinguishing mark printed on their driver's license for cases of medical emergencies.

2025-S5490 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5490

SPONSOR: ASHBY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to allowing
persons in recovery to have a distinguishing mark printed on their driv-
er's license for cases of medical emergencies

 
PURPOSE:

To provide an optional mechanism for medical emergencies, whereby a
person could be identified as a person in some form of drug or alcohol
recovery on their licenses.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 would amend section 504 of the vehicle and traffic law by
adding paragraph(a-2), which would allow a person the option to add a
distinguishing mark on their licenses to identify as a person in recov-
ery. The distinguishing mark would be a simple "R" for Recovery, similar
to the "Veteran" that a Veteran may choose to put on their license.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

People in recovery work extremely hard to stay on the path of recovery;
however, life throws curveballs and medical emergencies happen, whether
car accidents, sports injuries, or something else. When someone in
recovery is rushed to the hospital, the last thing they want is to be
put on pain medicines that are difficult to wean off. If medical profes-
sionals can see on the patient's license that a person is in recovery,
they may be able to change the course of medicine administered or have a
plan in place. This legislation will embolden those individuals who
desire to take control of their medical future and be better prepared
for potential medical emergencies, by allowing them to simply check a
box on a form to have their license display an obscure "R" for recovery.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24 - S.7613 - referred to Transportation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S5490 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5490
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ASHBY  -- 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  allowing
   persons  in  recovery  to  have a distinguishing mark printed on their
   driver's license for cases of medical emergencies

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 504 of the vehicle and traffic law
 is amended by adding a new paragraph (a-2) to read as follows:
   (A-2) EVERY LICENSE OR RENEWAL THEREOF ISSUED TO AN APPLICANT WHO OPTS
 TO  DISTINGUISH  AS  A  PERSON  IN  RECOVERY SHALL, UPON THE APPLICANT'S
 REQUEST AND SUBMISSION OF AN APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL OR ISSUANCE OF SUCH
 LICENSE, CONTAIN A DISTINGUISHING MARK OF "R" INDICATING THAT THE APPLI-
 CANT IS A PERSON IN RECOVERY. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL  NOT  REQUIRE  FEES
 FOR  THE  ISSUANCE  OF  SUCH  LICENSES  OR  RENEWALS  THEREOF TO PERSONS
 REQUESTING AN "R" DISTINGUISHING MARK  WHICH  ARE  DIFFERENT  FROM  FEES
 OTHERWISE  REQUIRED.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS SECTION, A "PERSON IN
 RECOVERY" SHALL MEAN ANY PERSON WHO WOULD LIKE THEIR LICENSE TO  SPECIFY
 FOR  CASES  OF  MEDICAL  EMERGENCIES THAT SUCH PERSON IS IN SOME FORM OF
 DRUG OR ALCOHOL RECOVERY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02995-01-5

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.