What's happening
This bill prohibits drivers from interfering with funeral processions and establishes fines for violations without adding license points.
Why it matters
Enhances respect and safety for funeral processions. by making it illegal for drivers to cut through, obstruct, or otherwise interfere with vehicles in a moving funeral procession—helping to maintain the solemnity and order of these events on public roads.
Provides clear exceptions. for law enforcement and emergency vehicles, as well as for situations where other traffic laws (like yielding to emergency vehicles) require breaking the procession, ensuring public safety isn’t compromised.
Limits liability for funeral professionals. by explicitly stating that funeral homes and their staff are not automatically liable for injuries or damages caused by violations—unless they fail to exercise proper care—potentially reducing their insurance and legal risks.
Imposes a financial, not criminal, penalty. by establishing a fine (up to $50) for violations without adding points to a driver’s license, which means violators face consequences without long-term impacts on their driving record or insurance rates.
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Who cares
Motorists
Drivers who interfere with a moving funeral procession would face a traffic infraction carrying a fine of up to $50, but no license points.
Funeral firms and their employees
The bill would not itself impose liability on them for injuries or damages resulting from a violation while acting within their duties, but would preserve their obligation to drive with due care.
Funeral procession participants
The bill would prohibit outside drivers from entering, driving between, obstructing or otherwise interfering with their moving vehicles, subject to specified exceptions.
Police officers and emergency responders
Police could authorize drivers to enter or cross a procession, and authorized emergency vehicles using both visible and audible signals would be exempt from the prohibition.
Headline styles
Ban Funeral Procession Interference
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Funeral Procession Disruptions
In Senate Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Michael Gianaris
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2896
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. SIMOTAS, M. G. MILLER, HOOPER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to interference with a funeral procession
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 1132 to read as follows:
§ 1132. Interference with a funeral procession. (a) The driver of a motor vehicle shall not enter, drive between, obstruct, hinder or in any way interfere with the vehicles constituting a funeral procession while such vehicles are in motion unless such motor vehicle is part of such procession, except when authorized to do so by a police officer or when such motor vehicle is an authorized emergency vehicle exhibiting a visible signal and sounding an audible signal or when complying with the provisions of section eleven hundred forty-four-a of this title.
(b) Any person operating a motor vehicle in violation of subdivision (a) of this section shall be guilty of a traffic infraction and subject to a fine of not more than fifty dollars. The commissioner shall not assess any points against the license of a person found to have violated the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section.
(c) No provision of this section shall be deemed to impose any liability for personal injury or damages resulting from a violation of this section upon a funeral firm or any person licensed or registered pursuant to article thirty-four of the public health law, or any employee or agent thereof, when such firm, person, employee or agent is acting within the scope of his, her or its duties. However, any funeral firm or any person licensed or registered pursuant to article thirty-four of the public health law, or any employee or agent thereof, shall at all times operate motor vehicles in compliance with all standards of care imposed
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04538-01-7
A. 2896 2
to prevent such injuries or damages to persons and/or property of another.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of September next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.