S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1761
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 13, 2017
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Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a statewide toll-free office of court administration hotline for use
by police officers seeking court orders to compel persons to submit to
a blood test
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
"Vionique Valnord's law".
§ 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 3 of section 1194 of the vehicle and
traffic law, as added by chapter 47 of the laws of 1988, is amended to
read as follows:
(d) Court order; procedure. (1) An application for a court order to
compel submission to a chemical test or any portion thereof, may be made
to any supreme court justice, county court judge or district court judge
in the judicial district in which the incident occurred, or if the inci-
dent occurred in the city of New York before any supreme court justice
or judge of the criminal court of the city of New York. Such application
may be communicated by telephone, radio or other means of electronic
communication, or in person.
(2) The applicant must provide identification by name and title and
must state the purpose of the communication. Upon being advised that an
application for a court order to compel submission to a chemical test is
being made, the court shall place under oath the applicant and any other
person providing information in support of the application as provided
in subparagraph three of this paragraph. After being sworn the applicant
must state that the person from whom the chemical test was requested was
the operator of a motor vehicle and in the course of such operation a
person, other than the operator, has been killed or seriously injured
and, based upon the totality of circumstances, there is reasonable cause
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04854-01-7
A. 1761 2
to believe that such person was operating a motor vehicle in violation
of any subdivision of section eleven hundred ninety-two of this article
and, after being placed under lawful arrest such person refused to
submit to a chemical test or any portion thereof, in accordance with the
provisions of this section or is unable to give consent to such a test
or any portion thereof. The applicant must make specific allegations of
fact to support such statement. Any other person properly identified,
may present sworn allegations of fact in support of the applicant's
statement.
(3) Upon being advised that an oral application for a court order to
compel a person to submit to a chemical test OF ONE OR MORE OF THE
FOLLOWING: BREATH, BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA, is being made, a judge or
justice shall place under oath the applicant and any other person
providing information in support of the application. Such oath or oaths
and all of the remaining communication must be recorded, either by means
of a voice recording device or verbatim stenographic or verbatim long-
hand notes. If a voice recording device is used or a stenographic record
made, the judge must have the record transcribed, certify to the accura-
cy of the transcription and file the original record and transcription
with the court within seventy-two hours of the issuance of the court
order. If the longhand notes are taken, the judge shall subscribe a copy
and file it with the court within twenty-four hours of the issuance of
the order.
(4) If the court is satisfied that the requirements for the issuance
of a court order pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this
subdivision have been met, it may grant the application and issue an
order requiring the accused to submit to a chemical test OF ONE OR MORE
OF THE FOLLOWING: BREATH, BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA, to determine the alco-
holic and/or drug content of his blood and ordering the withdrawal of a
blood sample in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of
subdivision four of this section. When a judge or justice determines to
issue an order to compel submission to a chemical test based on an oral
application, the applicant therefor shall prepare the order in accord-
ance with the instructions of the judge or justice. In all cases the
order shall include the name of the issuing judge or justice, the name
of the applicant, and the date and time it was issued. It must be
signed by the judge or justice if issued in person, or by the applicant
if issued orally.
(5) UPON REFUSAL BY A PERSON, WHO A POLICE OFFICER HAS REASONABLE
CAUSE TO BELIEVE IS IN VIOLATION OF ANY SUBDIVISION OF SECTION ELEVEN
HUNDRED NINETY-TWO OF THIS ARTICLE, TO SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST OF ONE
OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: BREATH, BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA, REQUESTED BY
SUCH POLICE OFFICER AT THE TIME OF SUCH TRAFFIC STOP, SUCH POLICE OFFI-
CER, IF A SIGNED COURT ORDER TO COMPEL SUCH PERSON TO SUBMIT TO SUCH
TEST CANNOT BE PRODUCED, SHALL CALL THE STATEWIDE TOLL-FREE OFFICE OF
COURT ADMINISTRATION HOTLINE WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SUCH REFUSAL, AS
DESCRIBED IN SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR-B OF THIS ARTICLE, TO
REQUEST OR OBTAIN, BY ORAL APPLICATION AS DESCRIBED IN SUBPARAGRAPHS
THREE AND FOUR OF THIS PARAGRAPH, A COURT ORDER TO COMPEL SUCH PERSON TO
SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST OF ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: BREATH,
BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA.
(6) Any false statement by an applicant or any other person in support
of an application for a court order shall subject such person to the
offenses for perjury set forth in article two hundred ten of the penal
law.
A. 1761 3
[(6)] (7) The chief administrator of the courts shall establish a
schedule to provide that a sufficient number of judges or justices will
be available in each judicial district to hear oral applications for
court orders as permitted by this section.
§ 3. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section
1194-b to read as follows:
§ 1194-B. STATEWIDE TOLL-FREE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION HOTLINE;
COURT ORDER TO COMPEL CHEMICAL TEST. 1. THE DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION AND THE DIVISION OF STATE
POLICE, SHALL ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE A STATEWIDE TOLL-FREE
OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION HOTLINE FOR THE USE OF POLICE OFFICERS
SEEKING COURT ORDERS TO COMPEL PERSONS TO SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST OF
ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: BREATH, BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA, AS
DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (D) OF SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION ELEVEN
HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR OF THIS ARTICLE.
2. UPON REFUSAL BY A PERSON, WHO A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER HAS REASON-
ABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE IS IN VIOLATION OF ANY SUBDIVISION OF SECTION
ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-TWO OF THIS ARTICLE, TO SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST
OF ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: BREATH, BLOOD, URINE OR SALIVA,
REQUESTED BY SUCH POLICE OFFICER AT THE TIME OF THE TRAFFIC STOP, SUCH
POLICE OFFICER, IF A SIGNED COURT ORDER TO COMPEL SUCH PERSON TO SUBMIT
TO A CHEMICAL TEST CANNOT BE PRODUCED, SHALL CALL THE STATEWIDE TOLL-
FREE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION HOTLINE WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES OF
SUCH REFUSAL, TO REQUEST OR OBTAIN, BY ORAL APPLICATION AS DESCRIBED IN
SUBPARAGRAPHS THREE AND FOUR OF PARAGRAPH (D) OF SUBDIVISION THREE OF
SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR OF THIS ARTICLE, A COURT ORDER TO
COMPEL SUCH PERSON TO SUBMIT TO SUCH TEST.
3. TELEPHONE CALLS MADE TO SUCH HOTLINE SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY ROUTED TO
A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, COUNTY COURT JUDGE OR DISTRICT COURT JUDGE IN
THE JUDICIAL DISTRICT IN WHICH THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, OR IF THE INCIDENT
OCCURRED IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, TO ANY SUPREME COURT JUSTICE OR JUDGE
OF THE CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
4. IF THE JUDGE OR JUSTICE IS SATISFIED THAT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
ISSUANCE OF A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH (B) OF
SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR OF THIS ARTICLE
HAVE BEEN MET, HE OR SHE SHALL GRANT THE APPLICATION AND SHALL ISSUE AN
ORDER REQUIRING THE ACCUSED TO SUBMIT TO A CHEMICAL TEST IMMEDIATELY,
PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR OF
THIS ARTICLE.
5. A DETERMINATION GRANTING OR DENYING SUCH APPLICATION SHALL BE
ISSUED WITHIN ONE HOUR OF SUCH PHONE CALL.
6. A POLICE OFFICER SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS E FELONY IF HE OR SHE
FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS
SECTION.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
it shall have become a law, except that any rules and regulations neces-
sary for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date may
be promulgated on or before such date.