STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5093 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 2, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the "Long Island Sound envi- ronmental fund" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new 2 section 404-ff to read as follows: 3 § 404-ff. Distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates. 1. Any 4 person residing in this state shall, upon request, be issued a distinc- 5 tive "Long Island Sound" license plate of a design approved by the 6 commissioner. Application for said license plate shall be filed in such 7 form and detail as the commissioner shall prescribe. 8 2. A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued 9 in the same manner as other number plates upon the payment of the regu- 10 lar registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this 11 article, provided, however, that an additional annual service charge of 12 twenty-five dollars shall be charged for such plate. Such additional 13 service charge shall be deposited pursuant to section four hundred four- 14 oo of this article to the credit of the department of motor vehicles 15 distinctive plate development fund, established by section ninety-five-g 16 of the state finance law, and shall be used for the production, design, 17 advertising and marketing of distinctive number plates; provided, howev- 18 er, that additional annual service charges collected in excess of six 19 thousand dollars shall be deposited to the credit of the Long Island 20 Sound environmental fund established pursuant to section ninety-seven- 21 zzzz of the state finance law. 22 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-zzzz 23 to read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02734-01-3
A. 5093 2 1 § 97-zzzz. Long Island Sound environmental fund. 1. There is hereby 2 established in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and 3 finance, the state comptroller and the commissioner of environmental 4 conservation, a special fund to be known as the "Long Island Sound envi- 5 ronmental fund". 6 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys collected pursuant to section 7 four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law, and all other 8 moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund 9 or source pursuant to law. 10 3. On or before the first day of February each year, the comptroller 11 shall certify to the governor, temporary president of the senate, speak- 12 er of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee and chair of 13 the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money deposited in 14 the Long Island Sound environmental fund during the preceding calendar 15 year as a result of the revenue derived pursuant to section four hundred 16 four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law. 17 4. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner 18 of environmental conservation shall provide a written report to the 19 temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the 20 senate finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means commit- 21 tee, chair of the senate committee on environmental conservation, chair 22 of the assembly environmental conservation committee, the state comp- 23 troller and the public. Such report shall include how the moneys of the 24 fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall 25 include: 26 (a) the amount of money disbersed from the fund and the award process 27 used for such disbursements; 28 (b) recipients of awards from the fund; 29 (c) the amount awarded to each; 30 (d) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and 31 (e) a summary financial plan for such moneys which shall include esti- 32 mates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and succeed- 33 ing fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior fiscal 34 year. 35 5. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only to not-for-profit corpo- 36 rations, educational organizations or local governments undertaking 37 projects aimed at the beautification of and environmental improvements 38 to the Long Island Sound, including but not limited to, water quality 39 projects, habitat restoration projects, education, research, improving 40 public access to the Sound, or recreational opportunities. 41 6. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 42 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner 43 of environmental conservation. 44 7. To the extent practicable, the commissioner of environmental 45 conservation shall ensure that all moneys received during a fiscal year 46 are expended prior to the end of such fiscal year. 47 § 3. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of 48 the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section one of this act, shall 49 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart- 50 ment of motor vehicles of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand 51 dollars, which shall be executed by a surety company authorized by the 52 department of financial services to transact business in this state. 53 Provided, however, that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have 54 received prior to the plate design, production and issuance at least two 55 hundred orders for such distinctive plate together with the additional 56 annual service charge applicable to each such order, which shall be
A. 5093 3 1 non-refundable, no such surety bond shall be required. All such service 2 charges shall be deposited pursuant to the provisions of section 404-oo 3 of the vehicle and traffic law to the credit of the department of motor 4 vehicles distinctive plate development fund established by section 95-g 5 of the state finance law and shall be used for the design, production, 6 advertising and distribution of distinctive license plates in accordance 7 with such section 95-g. 8 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which 9 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale, two 10 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant 11 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of 12 such plates are sold by such time, the department of motor vehicles 13 shall be entitled to recover against the bond an amount proportionate to 14 such shortfall. 15 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 16 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section three of 17 this act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addi- 18 tion, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for 19 the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to 20 be made and completed on or before such effective date.