NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3976
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to providing a
transfer on death option for vehicle registrations
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
To help alleviate the financial burdens on the the beneficiary of a will
by the deceased where a vehicle registration transfer is subject to
probate.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended to transfer on death
registration. At the request of the owner, the certificate of title may
contain, by attachment, a transfer on death provision where the owner
may designate a beneficiary of the vehicle.
The commissioner shall create a form to accomplish the purposes of
subdivision one of this section.
JUSTIFICATION::
Currently in NYS, there is no set process in place to bypass probate and
make more efficient the distributions of a deceased's assets. The intent
of this law is to help streamline this process by increasing the feasi-
bility of distributing assets as far as allowing the transfer on death
registration of vehicles. This is made possible by way of a form that is
filled out by the vehicle owner with the intended designated benefici-
ary's information.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
None
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS::
None
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it becomes law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3976
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to providing a
transfer on death option for vehicle registrations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 401-c to read as follows:
3 § 401-c. Transfer on death registration. 1. At the request of the
4 owner, the certificate of title may contain, by attachment, a transfer
5 on death provision where the owner may designate a beneficiary of the
6 vehicle.
7 2. The commissioner shall create a form to accomplish the purposes of
8 subdivision one of this section.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
10 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07585-01-5
