New York Senate Bill S05894 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5894 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 3, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- 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 establishing distinctive "POW-MIA" license plates; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the "POW-MIA awareness 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 "POW-MIA" license plates. 1. Any person residing 4 in this state shall, upon request, be issued a distinctive "POW-MIA" 5 motor vehicle or motorcycle 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 POW-MIA aware- 20 ness fund established pursuant to section ninety-seven-ccc of the state 21 finance law. 22 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-ccc 23 to read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03650-01-5 
 S. 5894 2 1 § 97-ccc. POW-MIA awareness fund. 1. There is hereby established in 2 the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance and the 3 state comptroller, a special fund to be known as the "POW-MIA awareness 4 fund". 5 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys collected pursuant to section 6 four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law, and all other 7 moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund 8 or source pursuant to law. 9 3. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only for POW-MIA public educa- 10 tion and awareness campaigns and veteran services by Rolling Thunder New 11 York chapters, which are approved by the New York state division of 12 veterans' services. 13 4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 14 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the state director 15 of veterans' services. 16 § 3. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of 17 the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section one of this act, shall 18 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart- 19 ment of motor vehicles of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand 20 dollars, which shall be executed by a surety company authorized by the 21 department of financial services to transact business in this state. 22 Provided, however, that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have 23 received prior to the plate design, production and issuance at least two 24 hundred orders for such distinctive plate together with the additional 25 annual service charge applicable to each such order, which shall be 26 non-refundable, no such surety bond shall be required. All such service 27 charges shall be deposited pursuant to the provisions of section 404-oo 28 of the vehicle and traffic law to the credit of the department of motor 29 vehicles distinctive plate development fund established by section 95-g 30 of the state finance law and shall be used for the design, production, 31 advertising and distribution of distinctive license plates in accordance 32 with such section 95-g. 33 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which 34 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale, two 35 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant 36 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of 37 such plates are sold by such time, the department of motor vehicles 38 shall be entitled to recover against the bond an amount proportionate to 39 such shortfall. 40 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 41 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section three of 42 this act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addi- 43 tion, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for 44 the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to 45 be made and completed on or before such effective date.