STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5397 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 3, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- 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 the display of green lights on the vehicles of members of mobile crisis teams The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph 5 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the vehicle 2 and traffic law, as amended by chapter 504 of the laws of 2022, is 3 amended to read as follows: 4 5. Green light. (a) One green light may be affixed to any motor vehi- 5 cle owned by a member of a volunteer ambulance service or by a member of 6 a mobile crisis team, or on a motor vehicle owned by a member of such 7 person's family, or by a business enterprise in which such person has a 8 proprietary interest or by which he is employed, provided such member of 9 a volunteer ambulance service has been authorized in writing to so affix 10 a green light by the chief officer of such service as designated by the 11 members thereof, or provided such member of a mobile crisis team has 12 been authorized in writing to so affix a green light by the office of 13 mental health or the office of addiction services and supports. Such 14 green light may be displayed exclusively by such member of a volunteer 15 ambulance service, or a member of a deployed mobile crisis team, only 16 when engaged in an emergency operation. The use of green lights on vehi- 17 cles shall be restricted for use only by a member of a volunteer ambu- 18 lance service or a member of a mobile crisis team as provided for in 19 this paragraph except as otherwise provided for in subparagraph c of 20 this paragraph. 21 (b) As used in this paragraph [volunteer] the following terms shall 22 have the following meanings: 23 (i) "volunteer ambulance [service] service" means: [(i)] (A) a non- 24 profit membership corporation (other than a fire corporation) incorpo- 25 rated under or subject to the provisions of the membership corporations EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08005-01-3
S. 5397 2 1 law, or any other law, operating its ambulance or ambulances on a non- 2 profit basis for the convenience of the members thereof and their fami- 3 lies or of the community or under a contract with a county, city, town 4 or village pursuant to section one hundred twenty-two-b of the general 5 municipal law; or 6 [(ii)] (B) an unincorporated association of persons operating its 7 ambulance or ambulances on a non-profit basis for the convenience of the 8 members and their families or of the community[.]; 9 (ii) "mobile crisis team" shall have the same meaning as mobile crisis 10 teams as defined by paragraph eleven of subdivision (a) of section 36.03 11 of the mental hygiene law; and 12 (iii) "office of mental health and office of addiction services and 13 supports" shall mean the autonomous offices established within the 14 department of mental hygiene pursuant to section 5.01 of the mental 15 hygiene law. 16 (c)(i) In addition to the amber light authorized to be displayed 17 pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision, one or more green 18 lights or combination green and amber lights may be affixed to a hazard 19 vehicle designed for ice and snow removal owned and operated by the 20 state or by a county, city, town or village. Such green light or lights 21 may be displayed on a hazard vehicle designed for ice and snow removal 22 owned and operated by the state or by a county, city, town or village 23 when such vehicle is engaged in a hazardous operation and is also 24 displaying the amber light or lights required to be displayed during a 25 hazardous operation pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision. 26 Nothing contained in this subparagraph shall be deemed to authorize the 27 use of green lights on hazard vehicles designed for ice and snow removal 28 owned and operated by the state or by a county, city, town or village 29 unless such hazard vehicles also display one or more amber lights as 30 otherwise authorized in this subdivision. 31 (ii) The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regu- 32 lations relating to the use, placement, power and display of green 33 lights on a hazard vehicle designed for ice and snow removal owned and 34 operated by the state or by a county, city, town or village. 35 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 36 it shall have become a law.