Bill > A08599

This bill establishes an oral fluid task force to study and make recommendations on best practices for testing oral fluids to determine drug impairment while operating a motor vehicle in New York State. The task force will be composed of representatives from various state agencies, including the departments of motor vehicles, transportation, health, and state police, as well as the Office of Cannabis Management and the STOP-DWI Foundation. The task force will investigate the frequency of traffic stops involving drug impairment, current law enforcement methodologies for determining drug intoxication, and the feasibility of expanding drug recognition expert training for law enforcement. The bill makes several key changes to existing laws, primarily replacing the term "saliva" with "oral fluid" across multiple sections of New York's vehicle and traffic, navigation, parks, and penal laws. It introduces more comprehensive definitions of impairment and intoxication, specifically expanding testing methods to include oral fluid tests and evaluations by certified drug recognition experts. The legislation broadens the circumstances under which chemical tests can be conducted and introduces provisions for court-ordered tests in cases involving serious incidents or repeated offenses. The bill also modifies various legal provisions related to operating vehicles, vessels, and snowmobiles while impaired, adding oral fluid testing as a valid method of chemical analysis. It updates language to be more gender-neutral and expands the types of substances that can be tested for impairment. The task force is required to submit a report with its findings within one year of the bill's effective date, and the changes will apply to various modes of transportation, including motor vehicles, vessels, bicycles with electric assist, electric scooters, and snowmobiles.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A8599