Senate Transportation Committee reports six bills, including epilepsy license plates and limousine safety extension

The Senate Committee on Transportation reported six bills at its meeting, advancing measures on epilepsy awareness license plates, extending a stretch-limousine passenger safety task force, establishing school crosswalks at arrival/dismissal times, creating an online motor vehicle insurance verification system, waiving temporary E‑ZPass deposit fees after a rate increase, and authorizing expanded intermunicipal road machinery rentals and service contracts.

The measures were moved and seconded and carried by voice vote with no roll-call tallies recorded in the transcript. One bill, S.4508 (school crosswalks), was explicitly reported to the Finance Committee; the others were recorded as reported out of the Transportation Committee.

Senate bill S.1798 (Persaud) would amend the vehicle and traffic law, the state finance law and the public health law to issue distinctive epilepsy awareness license plates and create an epilepsy awareness fund and an epilepsy research and education program. The bill was moved by Sen. Gruffalo and seconded by Sen. Harcum and was reported by the committee.

Senate bill S.3260 (Cooney, chair) would extend provisions of the law that established the stretch-limousine passenger safety task force (chapter 3 of the laws of 2020). Committee members briefly discussed the importance of continuing the task force’s work in the wake of a limousine crash referenced during debate; the bill was moved and seconded on the record and reported by the committee.

Senate bill S.4508 (Ramos) would amend the vehicle and traffic law to establish scrambled crosswalks leading to and from school buildings during student arrival and dismissal times. The motion to report S.4508 was moved by Sen. Hartcomb and seconded by Sen. Persaud; the committee reported the bill to the Finance Committee.

Senate bill S.5331 (Bailey) would create an online insurance verification system for motor vehicle insurance and repeal certain prior pilot database provisions. The motion was moved by Sen. Gruffalo and seconded by Sen. Harcum; the bill was reported by the committee.

Senate bill S.6024 (Baskin) would amend the public authorities law to ensure E‑ZPass availability and to waive deposit fees for a defined period after a rate increase. The motion was moved by Sen. Martinez and seconded by Sen. Persaud; the committee reported the bill.

Senate bill S.6256 (Scoopis) would amend the highway law to authorize county and town highway superintendents to rent road machinery from other municipal units and to contract with other municipalities, districts, school districts, community colleges or units of the state university for services and equipment use. The motion to report the bill was moved by Sen. Liu and seconded by Sen. Oberacker; the bill was reported.

Sen. Jeremy Cooney, chair of the committee, opened the meeting, confirmed a quorum and closed the session after the six bills were reported. The transcript records the actions as voice votes and does not include roll-call tallies or recorded individual member votes.