A 9397: Requires the registration of surplus military vehicles previously owned by the United States department of defense or any federal agency, sold or transferred through an authorized federal surplus property program.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9397 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY December 19, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. E. BROWN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the regis- tration and titling of surplus military vehicles purchased from the federal government The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby 2 finds and declares that: 3 1. New York residents legally purchase surplus United States Depart- 4 ment of Defense vehicles through authorized federal surplus property 5 programs and auctions, including but not limited to GovPlanet, GSA 6 Auctions, and other federal contractors. 7 2. Such surplus vehicles are routinely accompanied by federal documen- 8 tation including Standard Form 97 (U.S. Government Certificate to Obtain 9 Title), U.S. Department of Justice titles, or other official federal 10 transfer documents used by states throughout the nation to issue lawful 11 titles and registrations. 12 3. Under federal disposal rules, "surplus" vehicles differ signif- 13 icantly from "decommissioned" military vehicles. Surplus vehicles do not 14 contain active offensive or defensive military capabilities and are not 15 required to be demilitarized or destroyed. 16 4. New York residents who purchase such surplus vehicles and subse- 17 quently install department of transportation-compliant glass, lighting, 18 tires, mirrors, and other safety equipment--and who pass an official New 19 York State safety and emissions inspection--should not be prohibited 20 from titling, registering, or operating said vehicles on public high- 21 ways. 22 5. The current absence of statutory clarity has resulted in the 23 department of motor vehicles refusing to title or register federally EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14230-01-5 
 A. 9397 2 1 documented surplus vehicles, causing substantial financial loss to resi- 2 dents and contradicting federal intent for surplus property utilization. 3 Therefore, the purpose of this act is to establish a clear, uniform, 4 and lawful pathway for the titling and registration of surplus military 5 vehicles in New York State once they are made road-legal and pass 6 inspection. 7 § 2. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 8 401-c to read as follows: 9 § 401-c. Registration of surplus military vehicles. 1. For purposes of 10 this section, "surplus military vehicle" shall mean a vehicle previously 11 owned by the United States department of defense or any federal agency, 12 sold or transferred through an authorized federal surplus property 13 program, and accompanied by one or more of the following documents: 14 a. Standard Form 97; 15 b. a U.S. Department of Justice title; or 16 c. any other federal certificate of release or transfer used to obtain 17 state-issued title. 18 2. The department shall issue a New York state certificate of title 19 and registration for any surplus military vehicle that meets all of the 20 following conditions: 21 a. the applicant presents valid federal surplus transfer documentation 22 as defined in subdivision one of this section; 23 b. the vehicle has been equipped with DOT-compliant safety glass, 24 lighting, tires, and other equipment required under New York state law; 25 c. the vehicle passes a New York state inspection performed at an 26 inspection station licensed under section three hundred three of this 27 chapter; and 28 d. the vehicle does not contain active offensive or defensive military 29 systems. 30 3. The department shall not deny title or registration solely on the 31 basis that a vehicle was formerly used by the United States military or 32 solely on the basis that it is categorized as "decommissioned" by 33 department personnel, provided the vehicle satisfies the requirements of 34 subdivision two of this section. 35 4. Where necessary, the department may conduct a supplemental safety 36 inspection through the vehicle safety division, but such inspection 37 shall be performed within thirty days of the applicant's request. Fail- 38 ure to conduct such inspection within this period shall result in deemed 39 approval. 40 5. Registered surplus military vehicles shall be treated as passenger 41 vehicles or trucks in accordance with their weight class and usage, and 42 may be lawfully operated on all public highways of this state. 43 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all 44 applications pending or submitted on or after such effective date.