What's happening
This bill requires New York to create a toll-free hotline and website for reporting safety issues with stretch limousines, and mandates public posting of this information in such vehicles.
Why it matters
Creates an official channel for limousine safety concerns. , making it easier and safer for passengers, drivers, and the public to report mechanical issues, regulatory violations, or unsafe conditions in stretch limousines, potentially preventing accidents before they happen.
Requires transparent posting of reporting information. inside all stretch limousines, ensuring passengers are aware of their rights and options to report issues, which could empower riders and increase accountability for limousine operators.
Mandates public reporting and data transparency. , obligating the state to publish annual summaries of safety complaints, types of issues reported, and enforcement actions taken—this could drive industry improvements, inform public debate, and spotlight recurring safety problems.
Enables prioritization and targeted enforcement. by allowing the Department of Transportation and DMV to use substantiated complaints to guide inspections and crackdowns, potentially making oversight more responsive and effective.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Report Limo Safety Problems
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Substituted by A8214B
- Ordered to third reading cal.74
- Reported and committed to rules
- Print number 6185b
- Amend and recommit to transportation
- Print number 6185a
- Amend (t) and recommit to transportation
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
Show 5 earlier actions
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1151
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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.
Report Limo Safety Problems
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Angelo Santabarbara
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6185--B
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 21, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MAY, BRESLIN, CARLUCCI, KAPLAN, KENNEDY, LIU, PARK- ER, SEWARD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of transportation to establish methods of reporting safety issues with stretch limousines
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 138 of the transportation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 10 to read as follows:
10. (a) In consultation and cooperation with the commissioner of motor vehicles, to establish, maintain, monitor, and publicize a toll-free hotline operated and maintained by the department of motor vehicles through which any person may report safety issues with altered motor vehicles commonly referred to as "stretch limousines" having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers, including the driver, used in the business of transporting passengers for compensation. Upon the establishment of such toll-free hotline, the commissioner and the commissioner of motor vehicles shall require every such altered motor vehicle registered in this state to have posted therein a notice providing the department of transportation's safe limo New York website address and toll-free hotline number, in a form and manner approved by the commissioner of motor vehicles. Such notice shall be posted in a manner legible and conspicuous to passengers in all seating positions of such altered motor vehicles. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "safety issues" shall include, but not be limited to, the operational
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11846-05-0
S. 6185--B 2
condition and functioning of such altered motor vehicle, motor vehicle safety equipment availability and condition, altered motor vehicle inspection and registration, issues related to certificates or permits issued to such altered motor vehicles for the transportation of passengers by the United States department of transportation or the commissioner, and alleged violations of article nineteen, article nineteen-A, or title VII of the vehicle and traffic law by a person during his or her operation of such an altered motor vehicle.
(b) (i) The commissioner may investigate reports received through such website, and toll-free hotline related to the provisions of this article or article seven of this chapter and, where the commissioner has verified such information, may consider such verified information in the enforcement of such articles, and in setting priorities for enforcement activities.
(ii) The commissioner of motor vehicles may investigate reports received by such website, and toll-free hotline related to the provisions of article five, section three hundred eighty-three, article fourteen, article nineteen, article nineteen-A, and title VII of the vehicle and traffic law and, where substantiated by such commissioner, may consider such substantiated information in the enforcement of articles five, fourteen, and nineteen-A and section three hundred eightythree of such law, and in setting priorities for enforcement activities.
(iii) In consultation and cooperation with the commissioner of motor vehicles, the commissioner shall report on safety issues reported to such website, and toll-free hotline and related investigations summarizing (A) the total number of safety issue reports received and the type of safety issues reported; (B) the total number of safety issue reports received and the type of safety issues reported where the commissioner or the commissioner of motor vehicles, as applicable, verified the information provided; (C) enforcement actions and other responses taken by the commissioner or the commissioner of motor vehicles, as applicable, to safety issue reports received where the commissioner or the commissioner of motor vehicles, as applicable, has verified such information; and (D) the length of time between the receipt of safety issue reports from such website, or hotline and enforcement action or other response by the commissioner or the commissioner of motor vehicles, as applicable. Such report shall be made publicly available on the department's website in a searchable format, and shall be published no less than once annually. Such report may also be included within the department's annual report submitted pursuant to subdivision thirteen of section fourteen of this chapter.
§ 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the transportation law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of transportation to establish methods of reporting safety issues with stretch limousines
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation requires the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to establish a hotline and website to report safety issues with respect to stretch limousines and their drivers.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill requires DOT and DMV to establish and/or main- tain a website and toll-free hotline for purposes of reporting safety issues with respect to stretch limousines and their operators. DOT would be required to coordinate with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in establishing and maintaining the website and hotline. DOT and DMV may investigate reports generated through these media, and would be authorized to consider such reports for enforcement purposes and for policymaking. DOT is also directed to report on the reports received from these platforms and discuss how it used the information. Building off of the 2019 Adopted Budget reforms with respect to posting of inspection status and driver qualifications, the bill language requires the website and hotline to be conspicuously posted within stretch limou- sines for all passengers to be able to view them.
Section two provides the effective date.
Justification
One of the tragedies of the Schoharie limousine crash from October 6, 2018 came from reporting that many of the vehicle's passengers were communicating numerous potential safety issues with their friends and family members who were outside of the vehicle. Unfortunately, there was not a simple way for these reports of potential vehicle defects to be communicated to the governmental bodies with regulatory authority over the vehicles so that it would be aware.
Further, during the Senate's first hearing on limousine safety, a number of limousine owners and operators discussed their concerns with bad actors who fail or refuse to comply with DOT laws and inspection requirements, and their inability to report instances where they knew vehicles were operating unlawfully. These witnesses also discussed the need for improved communication between agency regulators.
This legislation seeks to address this information gap by allowing customers and other observers to contact the DOT if there are substanti- ated issues with a stretch limousine.
Prior legislative history
New Bill (S.6185) passed the Senate without objection in 2019.
Fiscal implications
It is expected that the website and hotline can be provided within existing agency resources.
Effective date
One year after being signed into law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.