What's happening
This bill requires New York City to provide driver's license tests, forms, and services in Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi.
Why it matters
Expands access to driver's licenses for immigrant communities. By providing tests, forms, and interpretation services in Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi, the bill directly addresses language barriers faced by significant populations in New York City, potentially increasing road safety and legal compliance.
Helps ensure equity in public services. The legislation mandates that residents who speak these languages have the same opportunities as English speakers to obtain a license, supporting broader goals of fair treatment and inclusion in government processes.
May improve economic mobility and community integration. Access to a driver's license can expand job opportunities and ease daily life for non-English speakers, fostering greater economic participation and helping individuals integrate more fully into city life.
Sets a precedent for multilingual government services. The bill allows for the possibility of adding more languages in the future, signaling a commitment to linguistic accessibility that could influence other government agencies or cities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
DMV Forms in Three Languages
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
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.
DMV Forms in Three Languages
In Senate Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
489
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. M. G. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring certain motor vehicle forms and applications to be available in Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 502 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. Forms to be made available in certain foreign languages. Except as otherwise prohibited by federal law, rule or regulation the commissioner shall, within a city having a population of one million or more, ensure that all written tests, forms and applications for an initial learner's permit or driver's license issued pursuant to the provisions of this article are also available in Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi and provide translation and interpretation services in such languages to a person applying for such learner's permit or driver's license in such city, upon his or her request. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be deemed to prohibit the commissioner from making such tests, forms, applications, and translation and interpretation services available in other languages.
§ 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02707-01-7
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.