Establishes a central business district toll exemption for employees of the fire department of the city of New York in the title of firefighter, fire marshal, marine engineer, pilot or wiper.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3586
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 employees of the
fire department of the city of New York
PURPOSE:
To provide a central business district toll exemption for New York City-
Fire Department employees in the titles of firefighter, fire marshal,
marine engineer, pilot, wiper, emergency medical technician and advanced
emergency medical technician.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill would add a new subdivision 2-b to § 1704-a of the
Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide an exemption from the central busi-
ness district toll for any firefighter, fire marshal, marine engineer,
pilot, wiper, emergency medical technician or advanced emergency medical
technician, employed by the New York City Fire Department.
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 "fire vehicles" and "emergency, ambulance
service vehicles". However, these fire and ambulance vehicles are
located and maintained at Firehouses and EMS stations throughout the
five boroughs of New York City, including within the congestion pricing
zone. Regardless of the assigned work location of a Firefi_ghter or EMS
worker, the private vehicles of these employees have become a daily
extension ofthe Fire Department because any of these employees may be
detailed to a work location either inside or outside of the Central
Business District Tolling Zone. The detailed Firefighter or EMS worker
will learn of their detail assignment after arriving at their normal
work location. If a Firefighter or EMS worker is assigned to work in the
Central Business District, or elsewhere in New York City, and is
detailed to another work location in New York City, then such employee
will have first traveled from their residence to their assigned
location, and then will have to travel with their approximately seventy
(70) pound gear-bag containing carcinogenic gear to the detail location,
and then back to their assigned work location following the detail tour.
This bill would clarify that Firefighters and EMS workers who travel to
their assigned Manhattan Fire and EMS stations, or are detailed from
other areas of the City to work in any Manhattan Fire and EMS station
for the purpose of fulfilling their duty of protecting the public, will
not incur a toll, which could otherwise result in these Firefighters and
EMS workers paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in tolls each year.
Failure to clantr that the exemption exists for Firefighters and EMS
workers traveling into the Central Business District Tolling Zone to
perform their duty, will lead to these employees using public transpor-
tation, which will create a dangerous physically demanding exercise when
these employees need to travel on foot using public transportation,
while carrying their full gear bag, which consists of bunker gear,
boots, helmet, gloves, personal tools, and a 2nd set of clothing with
personal shower/decontamination supplies (in the event a member must
decontaminate from a fire/incident). In addition, .the use of public
transportation by these employees will needlessly expose the public to
this carcinogenic gear. Further, the additional toll costs will be a
disincentive for Firefighters and EMS workers to accept re gular work
assignments in the toll zone.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3586
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a central business district toll exemption for certain employees of
the fire department of the city of New York
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-b to read as follows:
3 2-b. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, no employee of the
4 fire department of the city of New York in the title of firefighter,
5 fire marshal, marine engineer, pilot or wiper, and no employee of the
6 fire department of the city of New York in a title whose duties are
7 those of an emergency medical technician or advanced emergency medical
8 technician (as those terms are defined in section three thousand one of
9 the public health law), shall be charged a central business district
10 toll.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05841-01-5
