Removes the requirement for registration stickers on certain motor vehicles and provides for the issuance of electronic certificates of registration for…

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why James Skoufis says this is needed

Currently, New York State requires drivers to place a registration sticker on the inside of their car's windshield. Although some other states also impose a similar requirement on motor vehicle owners, either by placing a sticker on their license plate or windshield, more and more states are moving away from this practice. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut have all transitioned out from the use of physical registration stickers. Instead of using a registration sticker, law enforcement in these states are able to scan license plates and access the DMV database from their patrol vehicles as a way to confirm regis- tration status. With this bill, drivers will still be required to register and re-regis- ter their vehicles, but they won't be required to affix a sticker to their windshields. A Penn State research study concluded that eliminat- ing the registration sticker has no impact on vehicle registration compliance. Additionally, this bill will transition the state away from physical registration certificates and allow drivers to show a digital registra- tion certificate to law enforcement for proof of registration. The bill allows a driver to request a physical registration certificate if they would like one. Lastly, eliminating the physical registration stickers will help prevent fraud. Vehicle registration stickers are vulnerable to fraud because they can be stolen, transferred between vehicles, or counterfeited to make an unregistered car appear legally registered. Eliminating regis- tration stickers reduces these opportunities for misuse by removing the physical item that can be manipulated. By eliminating registration stickers entirely and incorporating digital registration cards, New York will save millions of taxpayer dollars in printing and mailing costs. This transition will additionally make the process of registering and renewing registration easier for motor vehi- cle owners and will modernize the process at DMV.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.