NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7856

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules 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

View Actions

Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 13, 2025	committed to rules
Jun 04, 2025	advanced to third reading
May 29, 2025	2nd report cal.
May 28, 2025	1st report cal.1452
May 09, 2025	referred to insurance

Votes

- May 28, 2025 - Insurance Committee Vote
  S7856
  
  Aye
  
  11
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  
  0
  - - Insurance Committee Vote: May 28, 2025
      
      aye (11)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Ashby
      
      Bailey
      
      Cooney
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gounardes
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      O'Mara
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Skoufis

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2336, Ins L

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that accident prevention courses include components of instruction in portable electronic device awareness and cannabis use awareness.

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7856

SPONSOR: HELMING
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to components of instruc-
tion for accident prevention courses

 
PURPOSE:

To add portable electronic device awareness and cannabis use awareness
as required components of accident prevention courses

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends section 2336 of the insurance law to add portable
electronic device awareness and cannabis use awareness as required
components of accident prevention courses.

Section 2: Amends section 2336 of the insurance law to add portable
electronic device awareness and cannabis use awareness as required
components of accident prevention courses.

Section: Establishes the effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Auto Insurance rates have been rising year over year, and a primary cost
driver of auto insurance premium increases is an uptick of risky behav-
ior of drivers. These behaviors include the use of Cannabis within an
hour of driving, and the use of portable electronic devices while driv-
ing.

New York state policymakers and insurance companies have supported motor
vehicle accident prevention courses as effective ways to educate drivers
on the dangers of driving. Drivers are encouraged to take these courses
through insurance companies offering reduced premiums for course
completion. These driver safety education programs offered by insurance
companies, as authorized in state law, are shown to be effective due to
their correlation with risk reduction, and impact on lowering accident
rates.

Particularly in New York, where adult and medical Cannabis use was
recently legalized, rates of accidents and law enforcement encounters
involving drivers who are under the influence of Cannabis has spiked.
This ultimately makes costs of insuring drivers in this state higher for
everyone. Across the U.S., Cannabis is reported to be the third most
commonly used substance after nicotine and alcohol.

A recent AAA study (see: haps://aaafoundation.orglexamination-of-ca
inabis-users-perceptionsand-self-reporied-behaviors-to-inform-messaging-
to-deter-impaired-drivingl ) alarmingly showed that more than 53% of
Cannabis users drove within an hour of consuming it, and over 60% of
Cannabis users who drive hold the perception that their driving is
either the same or better after use. Medical evidence of using Cannabis,
a psychotropic drug, and rising accident rates have shown otherwise.

According to data collected by the Federal Highway Administration, over
a third of drivers admit to driving while holding and talking on a cell
phone, and to reading a text or email on a cell phone. While New York
has outlawed this behavior while driving, it persists on our roadways
and is still a significant cause of accidents.

By ensuring that drivers who take existing drivers safety courses
offered by insurance companies are receiving up to date information and
a special focus on Cannabis use and Portable Electronic Device use while
driving, our roads will get safer, and public awareness of the high risk
of these behaviors will be better understood. This ultimately will bene-
fit both public safety and drive a reduction in auto insurance costs as
drivers engage in safer road behavior.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the
amendments to paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 2336 of the
insurance law made by section one of this act shall be subject to the
expiration and reversion of such subsection pursuant to section 5 of
chapter 751 of the laws of 2005, as amended, when upon such date the
provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7856
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
 
 AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to components of instruc-
   tion for accident prevention courses
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 2336 of the insur-
 ance  law,  as amended by section 3 of chapter 4 of the laws of 2021, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (1) Any schedule of rates or rating plan for motor  vehicle  liability
 and  collision  insurance  submitted to the superintendent shall provide
 for an actuarially appropriate reduction  in  premium  charges  for  any
 insured  for  a  three year period after successfully completing a motor
 vehicle accident prevention course, known as the national  safety  coun-
 cil's  defensive  driving  course,  or  any  driver  improvement  course
 approved by the department of motor vehicles as being equivalent to  the
 national  safety  council's  defensive  driving  course,  provided that,
 except as provided in article twelve-C of the vehicle and  traffic  law,
 there shall be no reduction in premiums for a self-instruction defensive
 driving  course  or  a course that does not provide for actual classroom
 instruction for a minimum number of hours as determined by  the  depart-
 ment  of  motor  vehicles.  Such  reduction  in premium charges shall be
 subsequently modified to the extent appropriate, based upon analysis  of
 loss experience statistics and other relevant factors. All such accident
 prevention  courses  shall be monitored by the department of motor vehi-
 cles and shall include components of instruction in "PORTABLE ELECTRONIC
 DEVICE" AWARENESS, "CANNABIS USE" AWARENESS, "Road Rage"  awareness  and
 [in]  "Work  Zone  Safety"  awareness  as defined by the commissioner of
 motor vehicles. The provisions  of  this  section  shall  not  apply  to
 attendance  at  a  program pursuant to article twenty-one of the vehicle
 and traffic law as a result of any traffic infraction.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11986-01-5

 S. 7856                             2
 
   § 2. Paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 2336  of  the  insurance
 law,  as  amended  by  section  4  of  chapter 4 of the laws of 2021, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (1)  Any  schedule of rates or rating plan for motor vehicle liability
 and collision insurance submitted to the  superintendent  shall  provide
 for  an  actuarially  appropriate  reduction  in premium charges for any
 insured for a three year period after successfully  completing  a  motor
 vehicle  accident  prevention course, known as the national safety coun-
 cil's  defensive  driving  course,  or  any  driver  improvement  course
 approved  by the department of motor vehicles as being equivalent to the
 national safety council's defensive driving  course,  provided  that  in
 either event there shall be no reduction in premiums for a self-instruc-
 tion  defensive  driving  course  or  a course that does not provide for
 actual classroom instruction for a minimum number of hours as determined
 by the department of motor vehicles. Such reduction in  premium  charges
 shall  be  subsequently  modified  to the extent appropriate, based upon
 analysis of loss experience statistics and other relevant  factors.  All
 such accident prevention courses shall be monitored by the department of
 motor  vehicles and shall include components of instruction in "PORTABLE
 ELECTRONIC DEVICE" AWARENESS,  "CANNABIS  USE"  AWARENESS,  "Road  Rage"
 awareness  and  [in]  "Work  Zone  Safety"  awareness  as defined by the
 commissioner of motor vehicles. The provisions of this section shall not
 apply to attendance at a program pursuant to article twenty-one  of  the
 vehicle and traffic law as a result of any traffic infraction.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 the amendments to paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 2336  of  the
 insurance  law  made  by section one of this act shall be subject to the
 expiration and reversion of such subsection pursuant  to  section  5  of
 chapter  751  of  the  laws of 2005, as amended, when upon such date the
 provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.

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Senate Bill S7856

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

Votes

May 28, 2025 - Insurance Committee Vote

Insurance Committee Vote: May 28, 2025

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

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Sponsored By

Pamela Helming

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

Votes

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7856 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments