Establishes a central business district toll exemption for police officers employed in a police force of a city with a population of one million or more.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A551
SPONSOR: Pheffer Amato
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a central business district toll exemption for certain police officers
 
PURPOSE:
To provide an exemption for New York City-employed police officers from
the central business district toll.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill would add a new subdivision 2-a to § 1704-a of the
Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide an exemption from the central busi-
ness district toll for any police officer employed by New York City.
Section 2 provides that the bill shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Central Business District Tolling Zone extends from 60th Street in
Manhattan to all of the roadways south of 60th Street, with exceptions.
Under the toll zone program, passenger vehicles entering or remaining in
the Central Business District would be charged a toll. The existing
statute provides an exemption for any "qualifying authorized emergency
vehicle," which includes police vehicles. However, in most instances
the police vehicle is held and maintained in the local Manhattan
precinct and is not driven by the police officers to and from their
residences, which may be outside of the Central Business District Toll
Zone, to the precinct. This bill would clarify that police officers who
travel to their Manhattan precincts to fulfill their duty of protecting
the public, will not incur a toll, which could otherwise result in a
police officer paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in tolls each
year. Failure to clarify that the exemption exists for police officers
traveling to perform their duty, as exists once they are in their police
vehicles, will create a disincentive for police officers to accept
assignments in the toll zone.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
551
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a central business district toll exemption for certain police officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 1704-a of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
3 2-a. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, no police officer
4 shall be charged a central business district toll if such police officer
5 is employed in the police force of a city with a population of one
6 million or more.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02407-01-5