NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6935

Senate Bill S6935

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Prohibits municipalities from transferring primary investigating authority of vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death to a non-law enforcement agency

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

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 27, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S6935 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §603-a, V & T L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S5989
2023-2024: S4630

2025-S6935 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits municipalities from transferring primary investigating authority of vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death from the police to a non-law enforcement agency.

2025-S6935 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6935

SPONSOR: LANZA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to prohibiting
municipalities from transferring primary investigating authority of
vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death to a non-law
enforcement agency

 
PURPOSE:

Prohibits municipalities from transferring primary investigating author-
ity of vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death to a
non-law enforcement agency

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 603a
of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 489 of the laws of
2017, to restrict municipalities from transferring primary investigating
authority to a non-law enforcement agency. Section 2 provides the effec-

tive date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislation was introduced in response to a proposal by the New
York City Council which would transfer primary authority over crash
investigations, including those that are criminal, from the New York
City Police Department (NYPD) to the New York City Department of Trans-
portation (NYC DOT). In 2020, 244 people died in traffic crashes
throughout New York City, some of which saw criminal charges pursued by
prosecutors. The City Council's legislation stems from a misguided anti-
police agenda, and any attempt to remove the investigation of crashes,
criminal or otherwise, from the purview of our city's primary law
enforcement agency to a non-law enforcement agency would be negligent.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S.4630 - Referred to Transportation/A.3145 Referred to Transporta-
tion

2023: S.4630 - Referred to Transportation/A.3145- Referred to Transpor-
tation

2022: S.5989 - Referred to Transportation/A.6211- Referred to Transpor-
tation

2021: S.5989 - Referred to Transportation/A.6211- Referred to Transpor-
tation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S6935 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6935
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- 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  prohibiting
   municipalities  from  transferring  primary investigating authority of
   vehicle collisions that result in serious injury or death to a non-law
   enforcement agency
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 603-a of
 the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 196 of  the  laws  of
 2024, is amended to read as follows:
   In  addition  to the requirements of section six hundred three of this
 article, whenever a motor vehicle,  bicycle  with  electric  assist,  or
 electric scooter accident results in serious physical injury or death to
 a  person, [and such accident either is discovered by a police officer,]
 or reported to a police officer within five  days  after  such  accident
 occurred,  the  police  shall conduct an investigation of such accident.
 NO MUNICIPALITY SHALL TRANSFER SUCH PRIMARY INVESTIGATING AUTHORITY TO A
 NON-LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
 manner as chapter 196 of the laws of 2024, takes effect.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03347-02-5

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