What's happening
This bill authorizes new administrative fees, electronic notifications, and tribunals for toll violations, and changes the allocation of collected penalties.
Why it matters
New administrative fees for toll violations. The bill empowers public authorities that operate toll roads, bridges, or tunnels to impose extra administrative fees on violators, which could increase the overall financial consequences for not paying tolls.
Electronic communication for notices. It allows required notices (such as those about toll violations) to be sent electronically with the recipient’s consent, potentially speeding up notification and making the process more efficient and less reliant on physical mail.
Creation of administrative tribunals. The legislation authorizes the Thruway and Bridge Authorities to set up their own tribunals for adjudicating toll violations, offering a specialized venue (including the option for videoconference hearings) rather than routing cases through traditional courts. This could make dispute resolution faster and more accessible.
Changes to penalty fund allocation. The bill revises how collected penalties, evaded tolls, and related charges are distributed, diverting some funds away from the transit crime fund and instead directing them to the authority responsible for collecting them. This shift could impact funding available for transit crime prevention programs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Tougher Toll Violation Enforcement
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 38
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
504
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to adjudication of toll collection violations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 2985 of the public authorities law is amended by adding three new subdivisions 15, 16 and 17 to read as follows:
15. In addition to any monetary liability that may be imposed pursuant to this section, a public authority that operates a toll highway, bridge or tunnel facility is hereby authorized and empowered to impose an administrative fee or fees on an owner, an operator or an account holder that has violated toll collection regulations.
16. Any notice required to be sent pursuant to this section by first class mail may instead be sent, with consent, by electronic means of communication. A manual or automatic record of electronic communications prepared in this ordinary course of business shall be adequate evidence of electronic notice.
17. The New York state thruway authority and the New York state bridge authority are authorized to adopt rules and regulations to establish an administrative tribunal to adjudicate the liability of owners for violation of toll collection regulations as defined in and in accordance with the provisions of this section and the applicable toll regulations of such authorities. Such tribunal shall have, with respect to violation of toll collection regulations of such authorities, non-exclusive jurisdiction over violations of the rules and regulations which may from time to time be established by such authorities in accordance with the provisions of this section. Violations shall be heard and determined in the county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred or in the county in which the public authority has its primary or regional admin-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06317-01-9
S. 504 2
istrative offices and regulations may provide for the conduct of hearings via videoconferencing.
§ 2. Subdivision 10 of section 1209-a of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 379 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
10. Funds. [All] Except for penalties, evaded tolls and other charges collected and paid to the triborough bridge and tunnel authority in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-nine hundred eightyfive of this chapter, all penalties collected pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be paid to the authority to the credit of a transit crime fund which the authority shall establish. Any sums in this fund shall be used to pay for programs selected by the board of the authority, in its discretion, to reduce the incidence of crimes and infractions on transit facilities, or to improve the enforcement of laws against such crimes and infractions. Such funds shall be in addition to and not in substitution for any funds provided by the state or the city of New York for such purposes.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to adjudication of toll collection violations
Purpose
To authorize the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Bridge Authority to establish an administrative tribunal to adjudicate the liability of owners for violation of toll collection regulations.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Adds three new subdivisions, 15, 16 and 17, to section 2985 of the public authorities law. Subdivision 15 authorizes and empowers a public authority that operates a toll highway, bridge or tunnel facility to impose an administrative fee or fees on an owner, operator or account holder that has violated toll collection regulations. Subdivision 16 allows any required notice to be sent, with consent, by electronic means of communication. Subdivision 17 authorizes the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Bridge Authority to adopt rules and regulations establishing an administrative tribunal to adjudicate the liability of vehicle owners for violation of toll collection regu- lations.
Section 2. Amends subdivision 10 of section 1209-a of the public author- ities law to exclude penalties, evaded tolls and other charges collected and paid to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority from the require- ment that such penalties be deposited in a transit crime fund estab- lished by such authority.
Section 3. Effective date.
Justification
This bill would strengthen the ability of the Thruway Authority and the Bridge Authority to effectively manage and enforce the collection of tolls throughout the State. Toll violators cost the tolling authorities tens of millions of dollars each year, and the current law is outdated and ineffective in enforcing against persistent violators. Some persist- ent violators owe in excess of $100,000 in tolls and fees.
Current law requires that violations of toll collection regulations be adjudicated through local courts, creating a burdensome process for the affected public authorities to go. after offenders which often results in violators not facing consequences for their actions. Allowing the Thruway Authority and the Bridge Authority to establish administrative tribunals to adjudicate toll collection violations would greatly strengthen their ability to manage and enforce the collection of tolls at the facilities they operate.
Legislative history
2017-18: S1372 - TRANSPORTATION 2015-16: S2196 - Transportation 2014: S.7608 - Transportation Committee
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.