NY State Senate Bill 2023-S5320

Senate Bill S5320

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring an updated signature and photo image for renewal and display on a renewed license

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to transportation
Mar 01, 2023	referred to transportation

2023-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §502, V & T L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S5097
2017-2018: S1925
2019-2020: S1219
2021-2022: S2714

2023-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to requiring an updated signature and photo image for renewal and display on a renewed license.

2023-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5320

SPONSOR: WEIK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to renewal of
drivers' licenses

 
PURPOSE:

To require an updated signature and photo image for renewal and display
on a renewed license.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the vehicle and traffic law to require an updated
signature and photo image accompany an application for license renewal.
These updates will be displayed on the applicant's new license.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

EXISTING LAW:

New York State Law and regulations require that all New York drivers'
licenses are renewed and updated at a minimum of every eight years.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Currently, New York State law and regulations require that all New York
drivers' licenses are renewed and updated at a minimum of every eight
years. This requirement for updated license information is for safety
precautions. Generally the updates required include listing changes in
height, residential address, and eye examination results.  Pursuant to
law and regulations there is the requirement to obtain an eye exam every
eight years which can be achieved at county and state operated Depart-
ments of Motor Vehicles.

However, the only states in the country that lack the requirement to
update driver's license photos are New York and Nevada. This results in
many New York driver's license photos and signatures being decades old.
The intent of requiring a photo on a driver's license is to help verify
identity, prevent fraud and identity theft, and increase safety. By
allowing license holders to have identifying photographs and signatures
that are decades old defeats the legislative intent behind these
requirements.

This bill requires that an updated signature and photo image of the
applicant accompany a submission of an application for license renewal.
Requiring an updated photo and signature on a driver's license would not
have to include an additional cost to the state resident license holder.
Instead, this innocuous update would have tremendous benefits at little
detriment to the applicant.

In this state and throughout the country, a driver's license is the
leading document verifying identity. It is provided to safety officials,
government workers, and private business whenever photo verification is
needed. Updating this document with a current photo and signature is
necessary to prevent fraud and provide accurate information to these
sources. Furthermore, providing accurate information to police officers
in the field is especially necessary to promote public safety and secu-
rity efforts.  For all of these reasons it is imperative that this bill
is enacted.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2022: S2714 Vehicle & Traffic Law

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after 3t shall have
become a law.

2023-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5320
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 1, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEIK  --  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  renewal  of
   drivers' licenses
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 6 of section 502 of the  vehi-
 cle  and  traffic  law, as amended by chapter 37 of the laws of 2019, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (a) A license issued pursuant to  subdivision  five  of  this  section
 shall  be valid until the expiration date contained thereon, unless such
 license is suspended, revoked or cancelled. Such license may be  renewed
 by  submission of an application for renewal, the fee prescribed by law,
 proofs of prior licensing, fitness and acceptable vision  prescribed  by
 the  commissioner,  the  applicant's  social security number or, in lieu
 thereof, with respect to an application for  a  non-commercial  driver's
 license  or  learner's  permit which does not meet federal standards for
 identification, an affidavit signed by such applicant that they have not
 been issued a social security  number,  AN  UPDATED  SIGNATURE  and  [if
 required  by  the  commissioner,]  a photo image of the applicant, WHICH
 SHALL BE DISPLAYED ON THE APPLICANT'S NEW LICENSE, in such  numbers  and
 form  as the commissioner shall prescribe. In addition, an applicant for
 renewal of a license containing a hazardous material  endorsement  shall
 pass  an examination to retain such endorsement. The commissioner shall,
 with respect to the renewal of a hazardous materials endorsement, comply
 with the requirements  imposed  upon  states  by  sections  383.141  and
 1572.13  of  title  49  of the code of federal regulations. A renewal of
 such license shall be issued by the commissioner upon approval  of  such
 application, except that no such license shall be issued if its issuance
 would  be  inconsistent  with  the  provisions  of  section five hundred
 sixteen of this title, and except that the commissioner  may  refuse  to
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09262-01-3

 S. 5320                             2
 
 renew  such  license if the applicant is the holder of a currently valid
 or renewable license to drive issued by another state or foreign country
 unless the applicant surrenders such license.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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