What's happening
This bill requires that any applicant who meets inspector competency standards and pays required fees must be certified.
Why it matters
Limits Discretion. The bill removes the commissioner's discretion to deny certification to applicants who meet competency and fitness standards, making the process more objective and predictable.
Reduces Barriers. By guaranteeing certification for qualified applicants who pay required fees, the bill may help reduce arbitrary or subjective barriers to entering the inspector profession.
Potential Workforce Impact. This change could lead to an increase in the number of certified inspectors, potentially addressing workforce shortages or backlogs in vehicle inspections.
Legal Clarity for Applicants. Applicants gain clearer legal assurance that meeting published standards and paying fees guarantees their certification, which could encourage more people to pursue this credential.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Certify Vehicle Inspectors Fairly
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
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.
Certify More Vehicle Inspectors
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Kenneth Blankenbush
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
862
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 5, 2017
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to certification of inspectors
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (c) of section 304-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 61 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
(c) The commissioner may, by regulation, establish standards of competency and fitness for certification as an inspector. If an individual meets any standards of competency and fitness established by the commissioner, the applicant shall not be precluded from receiving a certificate so long as the applicant pays any fees required herein.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06818-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to certification of inspectors
Purpose
To allow applicants who meet the standards of competency and fitness established by the commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, to apply for and receive a certificate, so long as the applicant pays any applicable fees.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends subsection c of section 304-a f the vehicle and traffic law to allow any applicant who meets the standards of competency and fitness established by the commissioner, so long as the applicant pays any applicable fees.
Section two provides for the effective date.
Existing law
Currently, under the Vehicle and Traffic Law, the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles establishes criteria governing the competency and fitness of vehicle inspectors. One of those criteria is to limit the number of vehicle inspectors allowed in the State.
Justification
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is statutorily responsible for regulating car dealers, repair shops and inspection stations in New York State. Under that authority, DMV currently limits the number of inspection stations allowed in each county. DMV says it limits the number of inspection stations because it must have enough resources to adequately oversee the stations to ensure they are in compliance with provisions of the federal Clean Air Act.
However, by placing a quota on the number of inspection stations allowed in New York state, this means that no new business owner can compete for customers seeking automobile inspections, unless they purchase an existing inspection business, or place their name on a waiting list and eventually make it to the top of that list. Allowing additional inspection stations would mean additional registration fees from those stations and additional options for automobile customers when seeking out an automobile inspection.
This bill simply allows businesses who would otherwise meet all of the standards of competency and fitness as an inspection station, with the payment of required registration fees, to compete for customers, instead of being prevented from competing in the free market because of the quota placed on such businesses by the Commissioner.
Legislative history
2015-2016: S.4670 Referred to Transportation/A.7494 Referred to Transportation.
Fiscal implications
This bill may result in increased revenue if the number of vehicle inspectors increases, therefore increases vehicle inspector applicant fees.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.