Bill Text: NY S07857 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates; creates the "Long Island Sound environmental fund" for the department of environmental conservation to distribute moneys to not-for-profit corporations, educational organizations or local governments undertaking projects aimed at the beautification of and environmental improvements to the Long Island Sound.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-06-09 - referred to transportation [S07857 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S07857-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7857 IN SENATE February 26, 2020 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GAUGHRAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the "Long Island Sound envi- ronmental fund" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new 2 section 404-ff to read as follows: 3 § 404-ff. Distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates. 1. Any 4 person residing in this state shall, upon request, be issued a distinc- 5 tive "Long Island Sound" license plate of a design approved by the 6 commissioner. Application for said license plate shall be filed in such 7 form and detail as the commissioner shall prescribe. 8 2. A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued 9 in the same manner as other number plates upon the payment of the regu- 10 lar registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this 11 article, provided, however, that an additional annual service charge of 12 twenty-five dollars shall be charged for such plate. Such additional 13 service charge shall be deposited pursuant to section four hundred four- 14 oo of this article to the credit of the department of motor vehicles 15 distinctive plate development fund, established by section ninety-five-g 16 of the state finance law, and shall be used for the production, design, 17 advertising and marketing of distinctive number plates; provided, howev- 18 er, that additional annual service charges collected in excess of six 19 thousand dollars shall be deposited to the credit of the Long Island 20 Sound environmental fund established pursuant to section ninety-seven- 21 zzzz of the state finance law. 22 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-zzzz 23 to read as follows: 24 § 97-zzzz. Long Island Sound environmental fund. 1. There is hereby 25 established in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and 26 finance, the state comptroller and the commissioner of environmental EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15337-03-0S. 7857 2 1 conservation, a special fund to be known as the "Long Island Sound envi- 2 ronmental fund". 3 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys collected pursuant to section 4 four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law, and all other 5 moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund 6 or source pursuant to law. 7 3. On or before the first day of February each year, the comptroller 8 shall certify to the governor, temporary president of the senate, speak- 9 er of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee and chair of 10 the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money deposited in 11 the Long Island Sound environmental fund during the preceding calendar 12 year as a result of the revenue derived pursuant to section four hundred 13 four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law. 14 4. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner 15 of environmental conservation shall provide a written report to the 16 temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the 17 senate finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means commit- 18 tee, chair of the senate committee on environmental conservation, chair 19 of the assembly environmental conservation committee, the state comp- 20 troller and the public. Such report shall include how the moneys of the 21 fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall 22 include: 23 (a) the amount of money disbersed from the fund and the award process 24 used for such disbursements; 25 (b) recipients of awards from the fund; 26 (c) the amount awarded to each; 27 (d) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and 28 (e) a summary financial plan for such moneys which shall include esti- 29 mates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and succeed- 30 ing fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior fiscal 31 year. 32 5. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only to not-for-profit corpo- 33 rations, educational organizations or local governments undertaking 34 projects aimed at the beautification of and environmental improvements 35 to the Long Island Sound, including but not limited to, water quality 36 projects, habitat restoration projects, education, research, improving 37 public access to the Sound, or recreational opportunities. 38 6. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of 39 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner 40 of environmental conservation. 41 7. To the extent practicable, the commissioner of environmental 42 conservation shall ensure that all moneys received during a fiscal year 43 are expended prior to the end of such fiscal year. 44 § 3. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of 45 the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section one of this act, shall 46 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart- 47 ment of motor vehicles of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand 48 dollars, which shall be executed by a surety company authorized by the 49 department of financial services to transact business in this state. 50 Provided, however, that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have 51 received prior to the plate design, production and issuance at least two 52 hundred orders for such distinctive plate together with the additional 53 annual service charge applicable to each such order, which shall be 54 non-refundable, no such surety bond shall be required. All such service 55 charges shall be deposited pursuant to the provisions of section 404-oo 56 of the vehicle and traffic law to the credit of the department of motorS. 7857 3 1 vehicles distinctive plate development fund established by section 95-g 2 of the state finance law and shall be used for the design, production, 3 advertising and distribution of distinctive license plates in accordance 4 with such section 95-g. 5 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which 6 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale, two 7 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant 8 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of 9 such plates are sold by such time, the department of motor vehicles 10 shall be entitled to recover against the bond an amount proportionate to 11 such shortfall. 12 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 13 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section three of 14 this act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addi- 15 tion, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for 16 the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to 17 be made and completed on or before such effective date.
