Senate Bill S8634

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8634

SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to excluding
violations occurring within a certain distance from a place of worship,
funeral home, or similar institution from bus operation-related traffic
regulations

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill amends section 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law to
clarify that certain bus operation-related traffic regulation violations
shall not apply when such conduct occurs within one hundred feet of a
place of worship, funeral home, or similar institution as part of
participation in a ceremony or religious service.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends paragraph three of subdivision (d) of
section 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law to maintain the defi-
              

nition of "bus operation-related traffic regulations," which includes
violations related to bus stops, bicycle lanes, double parking, and bus
lanes, as set forth in the rules of the City of New York. The bill
further provides an exemption stating that violations of these regu-
lations shall not be considered violations when they occur within one
hundred feet of a place of worship, funeral home, or similar institution
and are directly related to participation in a ceremony or religious
service.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Places of worship, funeral homes, and similar institutions regularly
host ceremonies and religious services that require temporary accommo-
dations for congregants and participants, including short-term stopping
or standing of vehicles in close proximity to the location.

Under current law, individuals attending these events may be subject to
traffic violations intended to regulate bus operations, even when their
conduct is reasonable, brief, and connected to constitutionally
protected religious or ceremonial activities.

This bill strikes an appropriate balance between maintaining efficient
bus operations and respecting the practical and cultural realities of
religious services and ceremonies. By narrowly tailoring the exemption
to a limited geographic area and specific circumstances, the bill
prevents unnecessary penalties while preserving the overall integrity of
traffic enforcement.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the
amendments to section 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law, made by
section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and
shall be deemed repealed therewith.