S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1670
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 11, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to fees charged
   for the issuance of number plates; and to amend the correction law, in
   relation to requiring a report on the costs of  manufacturing  license
   plates

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 401 of the  vehicle
 and  traffic law, as amended by section 1 of part H of chapter 59 of the
 laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   a. Upon filing of such application and the payment of the fee  herein-
 after  provided,  the  commissioner shall assign to such motor vehicle a
 distinctive number and, without expense  to  the  applicant,  issue  and
 deliver  in  such  manner  as the commissioner may select to the owner a
 certificate of registration, in such  form  as  the  commissioner  shall
 prescribe, and two number plates at a place within the state of New York
 named by the applicant in his or her application. A number plate, within
 the meaning of this chapter, may, in the discretion of the commissioner,
 be  a  plate  of a permanent nature, treated with reflectorized material
 according to specifications prescribed by the commissioner, and  with  a
 date tag attached to such plate or to the vehicle as prescribed by regu-
 lations  of the commissioner indicating the validity of the plate during
 a certain period and the issuance of such a number plate with such  date
 tag to a person possessing such a number plate shall be deemed the issu-
 ance  of  a  number plate. An additional fee, not to exceed [twenty-five
 dollars] THE ACTUAL COST OF MANUFACTURING A NUMBER PLATE, shall be  paid
 to  the  commissioner  whenever  a set of reflectorized number plates is
 issued for any vehicle for which a registration fee is normally  charged
 except  that,  with  respect  to  any number plate which is specifically
 requested by the applicant, such fee shall be paid to  the  commissioner
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD04520-01-1

 A. 1670                             2
 
 upon  approval  of such request. In the event of the loss, mutilation or
 destruction of any certificate of registration, any number plate or  set
 of number plates whether with or without a date tag or tags, or any date
 tag  or  set  of  date tags provided for in this article, the owner of a
 registered motor vehicle may file such statement and proof of the  facts
 as  the  commissioner shall require, with a fee of three dollars, in the
 office of the commissioner, or, unless and until the commissioner  shall
 otherwise direct, in the office of the agent who issued the certificate,
 plate,  plates, tag or tags and the commissioner or his or her agent, as
 the case may be, shall issue a duplicate or substitute. It shall be  the
 duty  of every owner holding a certificate of registration to notify the
 commissioner in writing of any change of residence of such person within
 ten days after such change occurs, and to inscribe on such  certificate,
 in  the  place  provided by the commissioner, a record of such change of
 residence.
   § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 403 of the vehicle and  traffic  law  is
 amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows:
   D.  NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION,
 NO SUCH ONE-TIME FEE SHALL BE CHARGED FOR  ANY  PLATES  REQUIRED  TO  BE
 REPLACED  DUE  TO  ANY  NUMBER  PLATE  DESIGN CHANGES IMPLEMENTED BY THE
 COMMISSIONER.
   § 3. The opening paragraph of subdivision 2  of  section  186  of  the
 correction law, as amended by section 29 of subpart A of part C of chap-
 ter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   The  prices  established by the commissioner shall be based upon costs
 as determined pursuant to this  subdivision,  but  shall  not  exceed  a
 reasonable  fair market price determined at or within ninety days before
 the time of sale. Fair market price as used herein means  the  price  at
 which a vendor of the same or similar product or service who is regular-
 ly  engaged in the business of selling such product or service offers to
 sell such a product or service under similar terms in the  same  market.
 However,  the  price  established by the commissioner for license plates
 sold to the New York state department of  motor  vehicles  shall  in  no
 event exceed an amount approved by the director of the budget. BEGINNING
 APRIL  FIRST,  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-ONE,  AND  ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, THE
 COMMISSIONER SHALL REPORT TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUDGET,  THE  TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT  OF  THE  SENATE  AND  SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY ON THE COSTS OF
 MANUFACTURING SUCH LICENSE PLATES.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.