Provides that family members of volunteer or paid professional firefighters who died in the line of duty may obtain a "Survivor of the Bravest" license plate; provides for the annual service charge collected to be deposited into the department of motor vehicles distinctive license plate development fund.
Summary
A04645 would amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law to create a new distinctive license plate for family members of volunteer or paid professional firefighters who died in the line of duty. Eligible applicants include a spouse, registered domestic partner, parent, sibling, or child of a firefighter who died in the course of employment or while performing firefighter duties. The plate would bear the words “Survivor of the Bravest” and would be issued upon proof of eligibility and annual verification by the applicant.
The bill requires applicants to pay the regular registration fee plus an additional annual service charge of $25. Those fees would be deposited into the DMV distinctive plate development fund and used for the production, design, advertising, and marketing of distinctive plates. The bill also includes the standard DMV “surety bond” mechanism for new plate series: the plate may be launched only after either a $6,000 bond is posted or at least 200 prepaid orders are received, and the bond is later released or forfeited depending on whether the plate reaches the 200-set sales threshold within two years.
Impact
This bill would add a new section 404-ff to the Vehicle and Traffic Law and expand the state’s distinctive license plate program to include a memorial-style plate for surviving family members of fallen firefighters. It would also direct the annual service charge into the DMV distinctive plate development fund under State Finance Law section 95-g, affecting how plate-related revenues are collected and used. The measure primarily affects the Department of Motor Vehicles, eligible family members of deceased firefighters, and the state’s existing distinctive plate administration process.
Sentiment
The bill appears broadly supportive and commemorative in tone, reflecting an intent to honor the families of firefighters who died in the line of duty. The caption and text frame the plate as a recognition benefit rather than a regulatory change, and there is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials indicating opposition or amendment activity. Overall, the available context suggests a favorable or at least noncontroversial reception.
Contention
The main practical issues in bills of this type are usually administrative rather than ideological: whether the DMV should create and manage another specialty plate, whether the $25 annual surcharge is appropriate, and whether the 200-order threshold and surety bond requirements are workable for launching the plate. Because no committee transcripts or votes are provided, there is no documented disagreement in the record here, but any concern would likely center on implementation costs, demand levels, and whether the plate program should be expanded for additional commemorative categories.
Provides that family members of paid professional firefighters who died in the line-of-duty may obtain a "Survivor of the Bravest" license plate; provides for the annual service charge collected to be deposited into the department of motor vehicles distinctive license plate development fund.
Provides distinctive license plates for the parents, spouses, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, and grandparents of police officers killed in the line of duty; eliminates the registration fee for family member distinctive license plates.
Authorizes the issuance of "Blue Star Mother" and "Blue Star Family" distinctive license plates for parents and family members of active duty service members; establishes the "blue star mothers and families support fund".