BILL NUMBER:S6723

TITLE OF BILL:

An act
to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to allowing
the commissioner of motor vehicles
to waive or accept electronic transfer of
salvage documents

PURPOSE OF THE BILL:

To streamline the reporting of information related to junk and salvage
vehicles.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill would amend Vehicle and Traffic Law ("VTL")
§ 429, subdivision 4 to permit the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
("Commissioner") to waive by regulation, the delivery of documents
related to junk and salvage vehicles or, in the alternative, to allow
such requirements to be satisfied by the electronic filing of the
necessary information.

Section 2 of the bill provides the effective date.

              

EXISTING LAW:

Currently, the VTL does not provide for a waiver for the use of
documents, or the electronic filing of such documents, related to
junk and salvage vehicles. Federal law already mandates the filing of
such information with a national database.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This proposal, in another form, was incorporated as section 3 of
A.7604 and S.4609 of 2011. The other sections of that legislation do
not appear in this bill.

STATEMENT IN SUPPORT:

Pursuant to VTL and Department of Motor Vehicle ("DMV") regulations,
vehicle savagers and dismantlers must submit a written statement to
the Commissioner documenting the acquisition of a vehicle that has
been disposed of as junk or for salvage. Salvagers and dismantlers
must also submit the certificate of title or any other ownership
documentation. The information provided pursuant to this section has
never been provided to DMV through county clerks as agents for DMV.
Under federal regulations, salvagers and dismantlers are required to
report almost identical vehicle acquisition data to the National
Motor Vehicle Title Information System ("NMVTIS"), the national

information system established by the United States Department of
Transportation to verify a vehicle's provenance before the issuance of
title by a particular state.

To streamline this process and eliminate duplication while ensuring
that relevant information is readily available to DMV and NMVTIS,
this bill would eliminate through regulation, the junk and salvage
vehicle acquisition reporting requirements in the VTL. DMV will
acquire the same information electronically from other sources
including the NMVTIS administrator which is available to DMV in a
timelier manner.

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:

There would be a small amount of savings by DMV by not having to
process and store paper documents.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.