New York A 5093: Establishes distinctive "Long Island Sound" license plates

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5093
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 2, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred 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:
EXPLANATION--Matter in (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02734-01-3

A. 5093 2
1 § 97-zzzz. Long Island Sound environmental fund. 1. There is hereby
2 established in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and
3 finance, the state comptroller and the commissioner of environmental
4 conservation, a special fund to be known as the "Long Island Sound envi-
5 ronmental fund".
6 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys collected pursuant to section
7 four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law, and all other
8 moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund
9 or source pursuant to law.
10 3. On or before the first day of February each year, the comptroller
11 shall certify to the governor, temporary president of the senate, speak-
12 er of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee and chair of
13 the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money deposited in
14 the Long Island Sound environmental fund during the preceding calendar
15 year as a result of the revenue derived pursuant to section four hundred
16 four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law.
17 4. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner
18 of environmental conservation shall provide a written report to the
19 temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the
20 senate finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means commit-
21 tee, chair of the senate committee on environmental conservation, chair
22 of the assembly environmental conservation committee, the state comp-
23 troller and the public. Such report shall include how the moneys of the
24 fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall
25 include:
26 (a) the amount of money disbersed from the fund and the award process
27 used for such disbursements;
28 (b) recipients of awards from the fund;
29 (c) the amount awarded to each;
30 (d) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and
31 (e) a summary financial plan for such moneys which shall include esti-
32 mates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and succeed-
33 ing fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior fiscal
34 year.
35 5. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only to not-for-profit corpo-
36 rations, educational organizations or local governments undertaking
37 projects aimed at the beautification of and environmental improvements
38 to the Long Island Sound, including but not limited to, water quality
39 projects, habitat restoration projects, education, research, improving
40 public access to the Sound, or recreational opportunities.
41 6. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of
42 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner
43 of environmental conservation.
44 7. To the extent practicable, the commi