A 9133: Enacts the "minivan passenger safety and DOT inspection act" in relation to requiring department of transportation inspection of minivans used for the purpose of transporting passengers for compensation.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9133 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY September 26, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to enacting the "minivan passenger safety and DOT inspection act" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "minivan passenger safety and DOT inspection act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares: 4 a. Minivans used in commercial passenger transport (including medical 5 transport, livery, and passenger-for-hire services) frequently carry 6 more passengers and mileage than typical private sedans and station 7 wagons. 8 b. The current statutory framework does not expressly require semi-an- 9 nual department of transportation inspections for minivans used in such 10 commercial passenger service, creating an enforcement gap that may 11 compromise public safety. 12 c. Uniform inspection requirements for all vehicles used to transport 13 passengers for compensation are essential to ensure ongoing safety and 14 reliability of the transportation system. 15 § 3. The closing paragraph of section 151 of the transportation law, 16 as amended by section 8 of part G of chapter 58 of the laws of 2012, is 17 amended to read as follows: 18 For the purposes of this article, the term "sedan" or "sedans" as used 19 herein shall include private passenger automobiles, but shall not 20 include commercial motor vehicles with a seating capacity of eleven 21 persons or more including the driver, and shall not include minivans. 22 For the purposes of this paragraph, "minivan" shall mean a motor vehicle 23 designed to transport passengers, with seating for seven to ten occu- 24 pants, including the driver, and primarily configured to provide passen- 25 ger transport. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13769-01-5 
 A. 9133 2 1 § 4. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 140 of the transportation 2 law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (vii) to read as follows: 3 (vii) All minivans used for the purpose of transporting passengers for 4 compensation. For the purposes of this subparagraph, "minivan" shall 5 mean a motor vehicle designed to transport passengers, with seating for 6 seven to ten occupants, including the driver, and primarily configured 7 to provide passenger transport. Any rules and regulations adopted by the 8 commissioner to govern the safety and operation of such minivans shall: 9 (a) specify the inspection standards, intervals, and scope applicable 10 to minivans used for passenger transport for compensation; 11 (b) set forth enforcement procedures, penalties, and remedies for 12 noncompliance; and 13 (c) provide for enforcement coordination with local and state authori- 14 ties to ensure uniform application statewide. 15 § 5. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 16 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of 17 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 18 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in 19 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section 20 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg- 21 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of 22 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such 23 invalid provisions had not been included herein. 24 § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 25 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 26 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 27 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 28 completed on or before such effective date.