What's happening
This bill expands and clarifies penalties for fleeing New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission enforcement or police officers.
Why it matters
Expands the definition of fleeing. The bill broadens the offense to include fleeing on foot, not just by vehicle, and applies it to all drivers licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), not just those operating under a specific "HAIL" license in certain zones.
Increases accountability for TLC-licensed drivers. Any driver licensed by the TLC who tries to escape after being told to stop by an enforcement or police officer can now be charged, closing previous loopholes and making enforcement more consistent.
Clarifies and maintains tough penalties. The act confirms that fleeing can result in a misdemeanor, with potential fines up to $1,000 and jail time up to 90 days, reinforcing the seriousness of the offense as a public safety and regulatory issue.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Increase Penalty for Fleeing TLC
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2588
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 28, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the penalty for unlawfully fleeing a uniformed officer of the New York city taxi and limousine commission
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 19-506 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by chapter 9 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
l. A person is guilty of [unlawful] unlawfully fleeing [a New York city taxi and limousine] an enforcement officer of the commission or a police officer when, knowing that he or she has been directed to remain stopped by [a New York city taxi and limousine] an enforcement officer of the commission or a police officer, the driver of a vehicle [operating pursuant to a HAIL license who is stopped in a zone where he or she is not permitted to pick up street hails] licensed by the commission thereafter attempts to flee such officer on foot or by setting the vehicle in motion and either [travels] travelling over three hundred feet without stopping or [engages] engaging in conduct constituting reckless driving as defined in section twelve hundred twelve of the vehicle and traffic law. [Unlawful] Unlawfully fleeing [a New York city taxi and limousine] an enforcement officer of the commission or a police officer is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than seven hundred fifty dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment of not more than ninety days or by both such fine and imprisonment. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, any charge alleging a violation of this subdivision shall be returnable before a court having jurisdiction over misdemeanors.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07355-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the penalty for unlawfully fleeing a uniformed officer of the New York city taxi and limousine commission
Summary of provisions
The proposed legislation would amend subdivision 1 of section 19-506 of the Administrative Code to broaden the misdemeanor crime of fleeing so that it applies to any driver of a vehicle licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission ("TLC") who flees or attempts to flee when stopped by a police officer or by a TLC uniformed officer.
Justification
Frequently, when a uniformed TLC inspector attempts to stop a vehicle engaged in for-hire transportation for an observed or suspected violation of law, the driver of the vehicle simply flees the scene. Since TLC inspectors are not armed or authorized to give chase, this is a risk-free way for drivers to avoid enforcement action. The Administra- tive Code presently punishes fleeing a police officer or a TLC inspector as a misdemeanor crime, in a provision enacted by the Legislature as part of the legislation that established street hail livery vehicles in 2012. However, this crime is limited to street hail livery drivers who flee when stopped in a zone in which they are prohibited from picking up street hails.
The proposed legislation would change this provision so that it applies to the driver of any TLC-licensed vehicle who flees when stopped by a police officer or TLC inspector. This would make it more likely that all drivers subject to TLC's jurisdiction would obey a TLC stop, enhancing the enforcement of TLC's regulatory system and preventing the prolifer- ation of unlicensed drivers. Accordingly, the Mayor urges the earliest possible favorable consideration of this proposal by the Legislature.
Legislative history
2018: S.6202 - Referred to Cities
2017: S.6202 - Third Reading Calendar
2016: S.5723-A - Passed Senate / A.8190-A - Referred to Codes
2015: S.5723-A - Passed Senate / A.8190-A - Reported to Rules
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.