What's happening
This bill extends the expiration date for laws enforcing child support through driver’s license suspension from 2019 to 2021.
Why it matters
Extends enforcement tools for child support. By pushing the expiration date to 2021, the state continues to use driver’s license suspension as leverage to ensure noncustodial parents pay court-ordered child support, which can increase compliance and benefit children financially.
Maintains pressure on non-compliant parents. The extension means parents who are behind on support payments remain at risk of losing their driving privileges, which can be a significant motivator for payment.
Signals ongoing legislative review. Rather than making the law permanent, the short extension suggests lawmakers want to periodically review the effectiveness and fairness of using license suspensions as an enforcement mechanism, reflecting ongoing debates about its impact on low-income individuals.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Extend License Suspension Rule
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A7788
- Ordered to third reading cal.1374
- Referred to rules
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.
Extend License Suspensions for Support
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6388
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 7, 2019
Introduced by Sen. PERSAUD -- (at request of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend chapter 81 of the laws of 1995, amending the vehicle and traffic law and other laws relating to the enforcement of support through the suspension of driving privileges, in relation to the effectiveness thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 19 of section 246 of chapter 81 of the laws of 1995, amending the vehicle and traffic law and other laws relating to the enforcement of support through the suspension of driving privileges, as amended by chapter 138 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
19. Sections two hundred one, two hundred eight, two hundred eleven, two hundred thirteen, two hundred fifteen and two hundred sixteen of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed on August 31, [2019] 2021.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that if this act shall have become a law on or after August 31, 2019 this act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to have been in full force and effect on and after August 31, 2019.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09229-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend chapter 81 of the laws of 1995, amend- ing the vehicle and traffic law and other laws relating to the enforce- ment of support through the suspension of driving privileges, in relation to the effectiveness thereof
Purpose of the bill
This bill would extend, for two years, the expiration of the driver license suspension process, one of the State's most effective tools to enforce child support obligations.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill would amend subdivision 19 of § 246 of Chapter 81 of the Laws of 1995 to extend the administrative driver license suspen- sion process from August 31, 2019 to August 31, 2021.
Section 2 of the bill would provide for an immediate effective date and would be deemed to have been in full force and effect on and after August 31, 2019.
Justification
This bill would extend, for two years, the driver license suspension process, a highly successful enforcement process to collect child support obligations. Using this process, the child support program is able to: (1) identify a parent who fails to pay child support and who also has a driver license; and (2) notify the parent that his or her driver license will be suspended unless child support payments are paid.
Federal law requires that each State must have a driver license suspen- sion process to improve the effectiveness of child support enforcement (42 United States Code § 666 A 16)). NEW YORK'S ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS SATISFIES THIS FEDERAL REQUIREMENT AND ACCOUNTS FOR SUBSTANTIAL COLLECTIONS EACH YEAR. THE EXPIRATION OF THIS ENFORCEMENT TOOL WOULD HAVE A CONSIDERABLE IMPACT ON NEW YORK FAMILIES.
Prior legislative history
THIS PROVISION WAS LAST EXTENDED BY CHAPTER 138 OF THE LAWS OF 2017 FROM AUGUST 31, 2017 TO AUGUST 31, 2019.
Fiscal implications
FAILING TO EXTEND THE DRIVER LICENSE SUSPENSION PROCESS WOULD RESULT IN THE LOSS OF A POWERFUL DETERRENT FOR THE NON-PAYMENT OF CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS. THE DRIVER LICENSE SUSPENSION PROCESS ACCOUNTS FOR APPROXI- MATELY $10 MILLION IN CHILD SUPPORT COLLECTIONS ANNUALLY, WITH APPROXI- MATELY 95 PERCENT OF THE COLLECTIONS GOING TO FAMILIES.
Effective date
THE BILL PROVIDES FOR AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE BEEN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT ON AND AFTER AUGUST 31, 2019.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.