What's happening
This bill exempts ambulance services and fire vehicles from thruway tolls during emergency operations, including while returning from service.
Why it matters
Expanding the definition of “emergency operation” to include returning from service means that ambulance and fire vehicles will not face toll charges even when heading back to base after responding to incidents, reducing administrative barriers and costs for these agencies.
By specifying “ambulance service” rather than just individual ambulances, the bill appears to broaden the exemption to cover a wider range of emergency medical vehicles, potentially benefiting private, municipal, and volunteer EMS providers.
Allowing agencies to choose between toll refunds or special permits streamlines the process, giving emergency service providers flexibility in how they access toll exemptions and reducing delays in emergency response or administrative reimbursement.
The legislation could lead to modest savings for emergency service organizations, allowing more resources to be directed toward public safety rather than operational expenses, and may also encourage more efficient emergency response routes.
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Who cares
Headline styles
End Thruway Tolls for Ambulances
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
201
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to exemption of emergency service vehicles from thruway tolls
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 378-a of the public authorities law, as added by chapter 23 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
1. The authority is hereby authorized and directed to issue refunds for tolls incurred by [ambulances] ambulance service or fire vehicles engaged in an emergency operation, or, at the option of the authority, to issue emergency services permits for use by [ambulances] ambulance service and fire vehicles which shall provide for travel at no charge between interchanges and barriers while such vehicles are engaged in an emergency operation. For purposes of this section, the term ["ambulance"] "ambulance service" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined by [section one hundred-b of the vehicle and traffic law] subdivision two or three of section three thousand one of the public health law, the term "fire vehicle" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined by section one hundred fifteen-a of the vehicle and traffic law, and the term "emergency operation" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined by section one hundred fourteen-b of the vehicle and traffic law, but for the purposes of this section shall include returning from such service. In any rules and regulations promulgated for the implementation of this section, the authority may establish the type of documentation or other proof satisfactory to the authority that an [ambulance] ambulance service or fire vehicle was engaged in an emergency operation at the time a toll was incurred.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01870-01-9
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.