S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    461
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to  prohibiting
   certain entities from engaging in the business of securing motor vehi-
   cle registrations or giving instructions as to procuring motor vehicle
   registrations
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 395 of the vehicle and traffic law, as  amended  by
 chapter 124 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as follows:
   § 395. Certain  private  service  bureaus  to be licensed.   Except as
 otherwise provided herein, no person, firm, association  or  corporation
 shall, engage in the business of assisting for hire in securing licenses
 to  drive  motor  vehicles or registrations or titles of motor vehicles,
 nor shall any person, firm, association or corporation for  compensation
 give  instructions  as  to procuring licenses to drive motor vehicles or
 registrations or titles of motor vehicles, without being the holder of a
 license for such purpose issued by the commissioner of  motor  vehicles.
 An  applicant  for  a  license  shall furnish the commissioner with such
 information and such references as  to  moral  character  as  [he]  SUCH
 COMMISSIONER may reasonably require. Every application shall be accompa-
 nied  by  a  fee  of  twenty-five dollars, which shall be regarded as an
 application fee and shall in no event be refunded. If an application  be
 approved by the commissioner, the applicant upon the payment of an addi-
 tional fee of twenty-five dollars shall be granted a license which shall
 expire  on the thirtieth day of June following the date of its issuance.
 The commissioner shall issue a  license  certificate  to  each  licensee
 which certificate shall be conspicuously displayed in the place of busi-
 ness of the licensee, or, if the licensee has no place of business, such
 certificates shall be exhibited at the request of any person. In case of
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02469-01-5
 A. 461                              2
 
 the  loss,  mutilation or destruction of a certificate, the commissioner
 shall issue a duplicate upon proof of the facts and the payment of a fee
 of one dollar. The refusal to issue a  license  may  be  reviewed  by  a
 proceeding  under  article  seventy-eight  of the civil practice law and
 rules. Such license shall be renewed annually upon the payment of a  fee
 of  twenty-five dollars, such renewal to take effect on the first day of
 July in each year.  Upon renewal, the commissioner may, in [his] AT SUCH
 COMMISSIONER'S discretion, issue a license which shall be  valid  for  a
 two  year  period.  The fee for any such two year renewal shall be fifty
 dollars.
   No license shall be issued under this section nor shall any renewal of
 a license issued under this section be made for conducting business in a
 city having a population of fifty thousand or  more,  according  to  the
 latest  federal  census  if  the  place  of business of the licensee, or
 branch thereof, is within fifteen hundred feet of a building,  owned  or
 leased  by  the state, a county or a city, in which motor vehicle regis-
 trations or licenses to drive motor vehicles are issued to  the  public.
 The  said  distance  of fifteen hundred feet shall be measured along the
 public streets by the nearest route from  such  place  of  business,  or
 branch thereof, to such building. The provisions of this paragraph shall
 not  apply  to a holder of a certificate of registration issued pursuant
 to section four hundred fifteen of this chapter.
   NO LICENSE SHALL BE ISSUED UNDER THIS SECTION NOR SHALL ANY RENEWAL OF
 A LICENSE ISSUED UNDER THIS SECTION BE MADE FOR A PERSON, FIRM,  ASSOCI-
 ATION  OR  CORPORATION WHO ENGAGES IN THE BUSINESS OF ASSISTING FOR HIRE
 IN SECURING MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS OR WHO, FOR  COMPENSATION,  GIVE
 INSTRUCTIONS AS TO PROCURING MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS. THE PROVISIONS
 OF THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY TO A HOLDER OF A LICENSE ISSUED PURSU-
 ANT  TO  SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR OF THIS ARTICLE OR THE HOLDER
 OF A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION ISSUED PURSUANT TO SECTION FOUR HUNDRED
 FIFTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER.
   A licensee shall be subject to such reasonable regulations  concerning
 the  business  conducted  under  [his]  SUCH  LICENSEE'S  license as the
 commissioner may prescribe and  [he]  SUCH  LICENSEE  shall  permit  the
 commissioner,  or  [his] SUCH COMMISSIONER'S representatives, to inspect
 [his] SUCH LICENSEE'S place of business on any business  day  and  shall
 furnish  to  the  commissioner,  or  [his] SUCH COMMISSIONER'S represen-
 tative, such information concerning the conduct of the business  as  may
 be reasonably required.
   The  provisions  of subdivisions five and six of section three hundred
 ninety-four of this [chapter] ARTICLE shall be applicable  with  respect
 to this section.
   The holder of a license issued pursuant to section three hundred nine-
 ty-four  of  this  [chapter]  ARTICLE  or the holder of a certificate of
 registration issued pursuant to section four  hundred  fifteen  of  this
 chapter  shall not be required to secure a license under this section in
 order to conduct a business for which a  license  is  required  by  this
 section  but  any  such  licensee, or registrant, who shall conduct such
 business, shall be subject to the same visitation and regulation by  the
 commissioner with reference to such business as provided in this section
 with respect to a licensee under this section.
   As  used in this section the phrase "licenses to drive motor vehicles"
 includes the term "learners' permits".
   A violation of any of the provisions of this section shall  constitute
 a misdemeanor.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.