Tedisco Supports New Limo Laws, Calls for Senate Hearing on Potential State Negligence in Schoharie Limo Crash

January 31, 2023

Albany--Senator Jim Tedisco today debated Senator Tim Kennedy, the Senate Transportation Committee Chair, on the Floor of the NYS Senate, and urged him to use the Majority’s subpoena power and hold a public hearing over potential state agency negligence in the 2018 Schoharie limo crash that took the lives of 20 people, including several of Tedisco’s constituents.

Here’s some of Senator Tedisco’s remarks on the Senate Floor today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMzlbXbu5w

In 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board said the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYS Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) share blame in the Schoharie crash with Prestige limousine operators as they had multiple opportunities to permanently remove the vehicle from operation but failed. That prompted Senator Tedisco to request the New York State Inspector General launch an investigation into the DOT and DMV’s role in the crash.

Last October 28^th, about a month after the NYS Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force came out with its final report on the Schoharie crash, the IG released its own report on the incident. The IG said the DOT and DMV “failed to utilize all legal remedies” to keep the limo off the roads and that lapses in oversight by the two state agencies were caused by “significant gaps in policies, procedures and interagency communications.”

“While the NYS Stretch Limousine Task Force made some solid recommendations for legislation which we passed today and I support and voted for, much more needs to be done to get real justice for the families of those who lost loved ones and ensure that something like this never happens again. The New York State Senate has a critical constitutional role to play in investigating what happened and the extent of negligence there was by the state DOT and DMV that contributed to the horrific Schoharie limo crash. The Senate Transportation Committee has a responsibility to the families and for the safety of all New Yorkers to use its subpoena power and haul these apparatchiks into a hearing room under oath so we can finally get some real answers and justice for the families, and ultimately enhance the safety of all New Yorkers,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.

Limo Safety Bills passed by the Senate today and supported by Senator Tedisco:

S.1367 Relates to requiring pre-trip safety briefings by drivers of stretch limousines.
S.1368 Relates to certain safety features required on stretch limousines.
S.1369 Extends the provisions of Chapter 3 of the laws of 2020 relating to establishing the stretch limousine passenger safety task force.
S.1370A Provides for the seizure and redemption of unlawfully operated and unsafe commercial motor vehicles.
S.1442 Relates to additional equipment requirements for stretch limousines.
S1443A Relates to stretch limousine age and mileage parameters.