NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7789
SPONSOR: Magnarelli
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in
relation to increasing insurance limits for certain for-hire vehicles
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To clarify that the $1.5 million combined single limit insurance
requirement for for-hire vehicles shall include coverage for injury to
or destruction of property.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one would amend paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision (1) of
section 370 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide that the "combined
single limit" of $1 5 million which is required for for-hire vehicles
with a passenger capacity of eight or more persons shall include liabil-
ity coverage for injury to or destruction of property, in addition to
coverage for bodily injury or death.
Section two would provide that the bill would become effective simul-
taneously with section 13 of Part III of Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Section 370 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law requires minimum liability
coverages for for-hire vehicles based on carrying capacity. Part III of
Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019 required for-hire vehicles with a capaci-
ty of eight or more persons to carry a minimum of $1.5 million of
liability coverage in a "single combined limit." This limit included
coverage for bodily injury or death. This bill would clarify that mini-
mum liability coverage of $10,000 per accident for injury to or
destruction of property, shall be included within the $1.5 million
single combined limit, rather than an additional coverage.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
section 13 of part III of chapter 59 of the laws of 2019, takes effect.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7789
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 21, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to increasing
insurance limits for certain for-hire vehicles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision 1 of section 370 of
2 the vehicle and traffic law, paragraph (a) as amended by section 13 of
3 part III of chapter 59 of the laws of 2019, and paragraph (b) as amended
4 by chapter 613 of the laws of 2002, are amended to read as follows:
5 [(a)] For damages for and incident to death or injuries to persons and
6 injury to or destruction of property: For each motorcycle and for each
7 motor vehicle engaged in the business of carrying or transporting
8 passengers for hire, having a seating capacity of not more than seven
9 passengers, a bond or insurance policy with a minimum liability of twen-
10 ty-five thousand dollars and a maximum liability of fifty thousand
11 dollars for bodily injury, and a minimum liability of fifty thousand
12 dollars and a maximum liability of one hundred thousand dollars for
13 death and a minimum liability of ten thousand dollars for injury to or
14 destruction of property; for each motor vehicle engaged in the business
15 of carrying or transporting passengers for hire, having a seating capac-
16 ity of not less than eight passengers, a bond or insurance policy with a
17 combined single limit of at least one million five hundred thousand
18 dollars for bodily injury [and] or death[;] to one or more persons, and
19 because of injury to or destruction of property in any one accident.
20 [(b) For damages for and incident to injury to or destruction of prop-
21 erty; for each motor vehicle and each motorcycle a bond or insurance
22 policy with a minimum liability of ten thousand dollars.]
23 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
24 manner as section 13 of part III of chapter 59 of the laws of 2019,
25 takes effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11500-02-9