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Senate Bill S7626

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts "Shawn's law"

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

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2025-S7626 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A7931
Current Committee:
Senate Transportation
Law Section:
Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §1181, V & T L; add §214-j, Exec L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
A8233

2025-S7626 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts "Shawn's law"; requires persons driving on a state expressway route, state interstate route, or state thruway route to pull over and seek assistance if their vehicle is unable to exceed thirty-five miles per hour; requires the division of state police to conduct an accident reconstruction and create a report in the case of certain accidents resulting in a fatality.

2025-S7626 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7626 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7626
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 23, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COONEY -- 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 and the  executive  law,  in
   relation to enacting "Shawn's law"
 
   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
 "Shawn's law".
   §  2. Section 1181 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision (c) to read as follows:
   (C) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO  THE  CONTRARY,  ANY
 PERSON DRIVING A MOTOR VEHICLE THAT IS UNABLE TO EXCEED A SPEED OF THIR-
 TY-FIVE  MILES  PER  HOUR  ON A STATE EXPRESSWAY ROUTE AS DESIGNATED AND
 DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED FORTY-C OF THE HIGHWAY  LAW,
 STATE  INTERSTATE  ROUTE AS DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO SECTION
 THREE HUNDRED FORTY-A OF THE HIGHWAY LAW, OR  STATE  THRUWAY  ROUTE,  AS
 DESIGNATED  AND DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE-A
 OF THE HIGHWAY LAW, SHALL PULL OVER TO A USABLE RIGHT-HAND SHOULDER,  IF
 AVAILABLE,  EXCEPT WHEN REDUCED SPEED IS NECESSARY FOR SAFE OPERATION OR
 IN COMPLIANCE WITH LAW PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (A) OF THIS SECTION,  AND
 SEEK ASSISTANCE.
   §  3.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 214-j to
 read as follows:
   § 214-J. ACCIDENT  RECONSTRUCTION  POLICY.  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  SHALL
 ESTABLISH  AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION POLICY UNDER WHICH THE DIVISION OF
 STATE POLICE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO CONDUCT AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION AND
 CREATE AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION REPORT IN THE CASE OF ANY MOTOR  VEHI-
 CLE  ACCIDENT THAT RESULTS IN A FATALITY OCCURRING ON A STATE EXPRESSWAY
 ROUTE AS DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED  PURSUANT  TO  SECTION  THREE  HUNDRED
 FORTY-C  OF  THE  HIGHWAY  LAW, STATE INTERSTATE ROUTE AS DESIGNATED AND
 DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED FORTY-A OF THE HIGHWAY  LAW,
 OR  STATE THRUWAY ROUTE, AS DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED PURSUANT TO SECTION
 THREE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE-A OF THE HIGHWAY LAW.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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