A 4645: Provides that family members of volunteer or paid professional firefighters who died in the line of duty may obtain a "Survivor of the Bravest" license plate; provides for the annual service charge collected to be deposited into the department of motor vehicles distinctive license plate development fund.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4645 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BOLOGNA -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing the issuance of distinctive license plates for family members of volunteer or paid professional firefighters who died in the line of duty 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 license plates for family members of volunteer 4 or paid professional firefighters who died in the line of duty. 1. For 5 purposes of this section, "family members of a volunteer or paid profes- 6 sional firefighter who died in the line of duty" shall mean a spouse, 7 registered domestic partner, parent, sibling or child of a volunteer or 8 paid professional firefighter who died in the course of their employment 9 or performance of duties as a firefighter. 10 2. Any family member of a volunteer or paid professional firefighter 11 who died in the line of duty and who resides in this state shall, upon 12 request, be issued a distinctive license plate bearing the words "Survi- 13 vor of the Bravest" of a design approved by the commissioner. Applica- 14 tion for such license plate shall be filed with the commissioner in such 15 form and detail as the commissioner shall prescribe and shall be veri- 16 fied annually by the applicant. 17 3. A distinctive plate authorized pursuant to subdivision two of this 18 section shall be issued upon proof, satisfactory to the commissioner, 19 that the applicant is a family member of a volunteer or paid profes- 20 sional firefighter who died in the line of duty. 21 4. A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued 22 in the same manner as other number plates upon payment of the regular 23 registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this article, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03548-02-5 
 A. 4645 2 1 provided, however, that an additional annual service charge of twenty- 2 five dollars shall be charged for such plate. Such annual service 3 charge shall be deposited pursuant to the provisions of section four 4 hundred four-oo of this article to the credit of the department of motor 5 vehicles distinctive plate development fund established by section nine- 6 ty-five-g of the state finance law and shall be used for the production, 7 design, advertising and marketing of distinctive license plates pursuant 8 to such section ninety-five-g. 9 § 2. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of 10 the vehicle and traffic law as added by section one of this act shall 11 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart- 12 ment of motor vehicles of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand 13 dollars, which shall be executed by a surety company authorized by the 14 department of financial services to transact business in this state. 15 Provided, however, that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have 16 received prior to plate design, production and issuance at least two 17 hundred orders for such distinctive plate together with the additional 18 annual service charge applicable to each such order, which shall be 19 non-refundable, no such surety bond shall be required. All service 20 charges collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited pursuant 21 to the provisions of section 404-oo of the vehicle and traffic law to 22 the credit of the department of motor vehicles distinctive plate devel- 23 opment fund established by section 95-g of the state finance law and 24 shall be used for the design, production, advertising and distribution 25 of distinctive license plates in accordance with such section 95-g. 26 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which 27 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale two 28 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant 29 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of 30 such plates are sold by such time, such department shall be entitled to 31 recover against the bond in an amount proportionate to such shortfall. 32 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 33 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section two of this 34 act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the addition, 35 amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the 36 implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and 37 directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.