As Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature continue to fight over whether or not a budget deal even exists, all parties have come to an agreement that chronically speeding drivers in New York City must be slowed down.
On Wednesday night, the final remaining obstacle to the bill, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, confirmed to Gothamist that he believes the Stop Super Speeders bill will be included in whatever final budget deal shakes out.
As Hell Gate has reported, both the State Senate and Governor Hochul had previously agreed on the framework of the bill, which would force drivers who get 11 or more points on their license over a two-year period, or 16 speed camera tickets within a year, to install a device in their vehicle that would prevent them from going more than 5 mph over the speed limit.
Heastie remained opposed until yesterday ("It's all Carl," one source told us last week), after meeting with a group of assemblymembers from New York City. “We had a conference with the city members. And I think for the most part, they're comfortable in moving forward—with some major differences from the governor's [proposal]," Heastie told Gothamist's Jon Campbell.
According to one of the bill's primary sponsors, Brooklyn State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, the biggest difference between the previous version and this new version lies in how speeding drivers will be compelled to install the $150 device. Previous iterations of the bill made it a misdemeanor to refuse installation; the version that Heastie has agreed on will be a civil process, most likely through the City's Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).