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History
- Referred to transportation
- Reported and committed to rules
- Referred to transportation
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S5097
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 Departments 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 security efforts. For all of these reasons it is imperative that this bill is enacted.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.