BILL NUMBER: S7708
SPONSOR: LIU
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the tax law and the vehicle and traffic law, in relation
to exempting commuter vans from congestion pricing in New York city
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISION:
Sections 1 and 2 amend the tax law to exempt commuter vans from the
congestion surcharge.
Section 3 amends the vehicle and traffic law to exempt commuter vans
from the central business tolling program.
Section 4 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Commuter vans play a vital role in the New York City's transportation
network by providing affordable, reliable and language-accessible trans-
portation in communities that are traditionally underserved by our mass
transit system. They are a unique, culturally competent, language acces-
sible transportation service that bridges the immigrant communities in
Queens, Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.
As a form of mass transit, commuter vans reduce congestion and get
people out of cars during the busiest times of the day. They are a crit-
ical part of our region's public transportation network and should be
afforded the same exemptions from the congestion toll as other forms of
mass transit.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S7708: 1299 tax law, 1299-a tax law