Requires department of motor vehicle forms, tests and applications for permits and licenses in a city with a population of one million or more to be available in Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6442
SPONSOR: Rajkumar TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring
certain motor vehicle forms and applications to be available in Punjabi,
Bengali and Hindi
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Motor Vehicles
to provide forms, tests and applications for permits and driver's
licenses in Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi. Translation and interpretation
services will also be made available upon request.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to
section 502 to require the Department of Motor Vehicles, except as
otherwise prohibited by federal law, rule or regulation, to make
learner's permit and driver's license written tests, forms and applica-
tions available in New York City in Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi, and to
provide translation and interpretation services in such City upon appli-
cant request.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
Click here to enter text.
JUSTIFICATION:
In order to better serve the needs of a growing South Asian population
within New York State, this bill is intended to make forms, tests and
applications for permits and driver's licenses accessible in Punjabi,
Bengali, and Hindi. This bill is to ensure that individuals have a
better understanding of what is required from the Department of Motor
Vehicles.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2013-2014: A8233 referred to transportation
2015-2016: A679 referred to transportation
2017-2018: A489 referred to transportation
2019-2020: A900 referred to transportation
2023-2024: A3334 referred to transportation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6442
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 4, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR, RAGA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring
certain motor vehicle forms and applications to be available in Punja-
bi, Bengali and Hindi
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 502 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 10 to read as follows:
3 10. Forms to be made available in certain foreign languages. Except
4 as otherwise prohibited by federal law, rule or regulation the commis-
5 sioner shall, within a city having a population of one million or more,
6 ensure that all written tests, forms and applications for an initial
7 learner's permit or driver's license issued pursuant to the provisions
8 of this article are also available in Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi and
9 provide translation and interpretation services in such languages to a
10 person applying for such learner's permit or driver's license in such
11 city, upon his or her request. Nothing contained in this subdivision
12 shall be deemed to prohibit the commissioner from making such tests,
13 forms, applications, and translation and interpretation services avail-
14 able in other languages.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
16 law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05598-01-5
