2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 5 - Drivers' Licenses › Article 20 - Suspension and Revocation › 516 - Driver License Compact.

§ 516. Driver license compact. 1. The driver license compact is hereby
enacted  into  law and entered into with all other jurisdictions joining
therein in the form substantially as follows:
DRIVER LICENSE COMPACT
ARTICLE I
FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY
(a) The party states find that:
(1) The safety of their streets and highways is materially affected by
the degree of compliance  with  state  and  local  laws  and  ordinances
relating to the operation of motor vehicles.
(2) Violation of such a law or ordinance is evidence that the violator
engages in conduct which is likely to endanger the safety of persons and
property.
(3)  The continuance in force of a license to drive is predicated upon
compliance with laws and ordinances relating to the operation  of  motor
vehicles, in whichever jurisdiction the vehicle is operated.
(b) It is the policy of each of the party states to:
(1)  Promote  compliance with the laws, ordinances, and administrative
rules and regulations relating to the operation  of  motor  vehicles  by
their  operators in each of the jurisdictions where such operators drive
motor vehicles.
(2)  Make  the  reciprocal  recognition  of  licenses  to  drive   and
eligibility  therefor more just and equitable by considering the overall
compliance with motor vehicle laws, ordinances and administrative  rules
and  regulations as a condition precedent to the continuance or issuance
of any license  by  reason  of  which  the  licensee  is  authorized  or
permitted to operate a motor vehicle in any of the party states.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITIONS
As used in this compact:
(a)  "State"  means  a  state,  territory  or possession of the United
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or  a
province of Canada.
(b) "Home state" means the state which has issued and has the power to
suspend  or  revoke  the use of the license or permit to operate a motor
vehicle.
(c) "Conviction" means a conviction of any offense related to the  use
or  operation  of  a  motor  vehicle  which  is prohibited by state law,
municipal  ordinance  or  administrative  rule  or  regulation,   or   a
forfeiture   of  bail,  bond  or  other  security  deposited  to  secure
appearance by a person charged with having committed any  such  offense,
and  which  conviction  or  forfeiture is required to be reported to the
licensing authority.
ARTICLE III
REPORTS OF CONVICTION
The licensing authority of a party state shall report each  conviction
of  a  person from another party state occurring within its jurisdiction
to the licensing authority of the  home  state  of  the  licensee.  Such
report  shall  clearly  identify  the  person  convicted;  describe  the
violation specifying the section  of  the  statute,  code  or  ordinance
violated; identify the court in which action was taken; indicate whether
a  plea  of  guilty  or  not guilty was entered, or the conviction was a
result of the forfeiture of bail, bond  or  other  security;  and  shall
include any special findings made in connection therewith.
ARTICLE IV
EFFECT OF CONVICTION
(a)  The  licensing  authority  in the home state, for the purposes of
suspension, revocation or limitation of the license to operate  a  motor

vehicle, shall give the same effect to the conduct reported, pursuant to
article III of this compact, as it would if such conduct had occurred in
the home state, in the case of convictions for:
(1) Manslaughter or negligent homicide resulting from the operation of
a motor vehicle;
(2)  Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating
liquor or a narcotic drug, or under the influence of any other drug to a
degree which renders the driver incapable  of  safely  driving  a  motor
vehicle;
(3) Any felony in the commission of which a motor vehicle is used;
(4)  Failure  to  stop  and render aid in the event of a motor vehicle
accident resulting in the death or personal injury of another.
(b) If the laws of a party  state  do  not  provide  for  offenses  or
violations  denominated  or described in precisely the words employed in
subdivision (a) of this article, such party  state  shall  construe  the
denominations  and  descriptions  appearing in subdivision (a) hereof as
being applicable to and identifying those offenses or  violations  of  a
substantially  similar  nature  and  the  laws of such party state shall
contain such provisions as may be necessary to ensure  that  full  force
and effect is given to this article.
ARTICLE V
APPLICATIONS FOR NEW LICENSES
Upon  application for a license to drive, the licensing authority in a
party state shall ascertain whether the applicant has ever held,  or  is
the  holder  of  a license to drive issued by any other party state. The
licensing authority in the state where application  is  made  shall  not
issue a license to drive to the applicant if:
(1)  The  applicant  has  held  such  a license, but the same has been
suspended by reason, in whole or in part, of a  violation  and  if  such
suspension period has not terminated.
(2)  The  applicant  has  held  such  a license, but the same has been
revoked by reason, in whole or in part,  of  a  violation  and  if  such
revocation  has  not terminated, except that after the expiration of one
year from the date  the  license  was  revoked,  such  person  may  make
application  for  a  new  license  if  permitted  by  law. The licensing
authority may refuse to issue a license to any such applicant if,  after
investigation,  the  licensing  authority determines that it will not be
safe to grant to such person the privilege of driving a motor vehicle on
the public highways.
(3) The applicant is the holder  of  a  license  to  drive  issued  by
another  party  state  and  currently  in  force  unless  the  applicant
surrenders such license.
ARTICLE VI
APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS
Except as expressly required by provisions of  this  compact,  nothing
contained  herein  shall  be  construed to affect the right of any party
state to apply any of its other laws relating to licenses  to  drive  to
any  person  or  circumstance,  nor  to invalidate or prevent any driver
license agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a party state
and a non-party state.
ARTICLE VII
COMPACT ADMINISTRATOR AND INTERCHANGE OF INFORMATION
(a) The head of the licensing authority of each party state  shall  be
the  administrator  of  this  compact for his state. The administrators,
acting jointly, shall have the power  to  formulate  all  necessary  and
proper procedures for the exchange of information under this compact.
(b)  The  administrator  of  each  party  state  shall  furnish to the
administrator of each other party state  any  information  or  documents
reasonably necessary to facilitate the administration of this compact.
ARTICLE VIII
ENTRY INTO FORCE AND WITHDRAWAL
(a) This compact shall enter into force and become effective as to any
state when it has enacted the same into law.
(b)  Any  party  state  may  withdraw  from this compact by enacting a
statute repealing the same, but no such  withdrawal  shall  take  effect
until  six  months after the executive head of the withdrawing state has
given notice of the withdrawal to the executive heads of all other party
states. No withdrawal shall affect the validity or applicability by  the
licensing  authorities  of  states remaining party to the compact of any
report of conviction occurring prior to the withdrawal.
ARTICLE IX
CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY
This compact shall be liberally construed  so  as  to  effectuate  the
purposes  thereof. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and
if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared
to be contrary to the constitution of any party state or of  the  United
States or the applicability thereof of any government, agency, person or
circumstance  is  held  invalid,  the  validity of the remainder of this
compact and the applicability thereof to any government, agency,  person
or  circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be
held contrary to the  constitution  of  any  state  party  thereto,  the
compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states
and  in  full  force  and  effect  as  to  the  state affected as to all
severable matters.
(1) As used in  the  compact,  the  term  "licensing  authority"  with
reference  to  this  state  shall mean the department of motor vehicles.
Said department shall furnish to  the  appropriate  authorities  of  any
other  party  state any information or documents reasonably necessary to
facilitate the administration of the compact.
(2) The compact administrator provided for in  article  seven  of  the
compact  shall not be entitled to any additional compensation on account
of his service as such administrator, but shall be entitled to  expenses
incurred  in  connection  with  his  duties and responsibilities as such
administrator, in the same manner as for expenses incurred in connection
with any other duties or responsibilities of his office or employment.
(3) As used in the compact, with reference to  this  state,  the  term
"executive head" shall mean the governor.
(4)  The  conduct  to  which effect shall be given pursuant to article
four-a of the compact shall be conduct which, if it had occurred in this
state, would have constituted an offense or violation within the meaning
of subparagraphs (i) and (iii) of  paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision  two,
paragraph  (f)  of  subdivision  three  of  section five hundred ten and
subparagraph seven of paragraph (b) of subdivision two of section eleven
hundred ninety-three of the vehicle and traffic law.
(5) In any case where the application of subdivision five  of  section
five  hundred  ten  of  the  vehicle  and  traffic  law would require or
authorize a result different from that required by article five  of  the
compact, said article five shall govern.