ALBANY – State Senator Jennifer Metzger’s (D, Rosendale) farm vehicle registration bill has been signed into law addressing what she said is an unnecessary burden to New York farmers.
Prior to the passage of the law, agricultural vehicle owners were required not only to file and maintain a registration that verifies the vehicle’s point of origin – ensuring its use within 25 miles of the respective farm – but also to maintain an additional car attached to the registration that specified each anticipated destination the vehicle would travel.
Metzger said having to record continuous destination updates was burdensome for farms looking to alter or expand routes, or to purchase additional farmland.
“New York’s farmers understand the need to maintain proper record for vehicle registrations, and this legislation alleviates unnecessary administration burdens on small and mid-sized family farms who often do not have the bandwidth to file exhaustive paperwork for their vehicles’ day-to-day usage,” said Metzger, who is chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Jeff Williams, director of Public Policy for the New York Farm Bureau call the measure “a common-sense solution to solving a red tape issue facing owners of farm-plated trucks in agriculture.”
