WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

A 11075

Enacts the "who you gonna call? act"

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Sam Berger

Expands authorized emergency vehicles and allows blue rear lights during emergency operations, while defining emergency operation and clarifying signaling and priority rules.

REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 11075

Summary of Bill A. 11075 (2025-2026) – "Who you gonna call? act"

Jurisdiction: New York
Session: 2025-2026
Introduced by: Assembly Member Berger
Date Introduced: April 24, 2026
Committee: Transportation

Purpose and intent

  • Enacts the "who you gonna call? act" to clarify and expand the designation and use of authorized emergency vehicles and associated lighting, and to specify emergency operation parameters for those vehicles.
  • The act primarily focuses on emergency response naming, vehicle categories, lighting configurations, and the scope of what constitutes an “emergency operation.”

Key provisions and changes

1) Naming and scope
- Section 2 codifies the act’s name, the "who you gonna call? act."
- Section 2 revises Section 101 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to specify a broader list of authorized emergency vehicles, including:
- Ambulance
- Police vehicle
- Bicycle
- Correction vehicle
- Fire vehicle
- Civil defense emergency vehicle
- Emergency ambulance service vehicle
- Blood delivery vehicle
- Human organ delivery vehicle
- Vehicle of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of New York City
- County emergency medical services vehicle
- Environmental emergency response vehicle
- Sanitation patrol vehicle
- Hazardous materials emergency vehicle
- Ordnance disposal vehicle
- (All listed as authorized emergency vehicles)

2) Emergency operation definition
- Section 3 revises Section 114-b to define “Emergency operation.” Key elements:
- Applies when an authorized emergency vehicle is transporting a sick/injured person, transporting prisoners, delivering blood/blood products due to imminent health risk, transporting human organs/medical personnel for organ recovery or transplantation if delay would jeopardize outcomes, handling deceased persons, supporting mass-fatality or decedent-removal operations, pursuing a violator, or responding to/working at accidents, disasters, police calls, fire alarms, or hazmat incidents.
- Explicitly states that “Emergency operation” does not include returning from service (i.e., ongoing emergency use is recognized during operation).

3) Lighting and signaling (blue lights)
- Section 4 amends Subparagraph b of paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 (Section 375) to authorize blue lights in addition to red/white lights for certain vehicles, under specific conditions:
- Authorized blue or blue/red/blue-white lighting may be affixed to: police vehicles, fire vehicles, ambulances, emergency ambulance service vehicles, OCME NYC vehicle, and county EMS vehicles.
- Blue lights are for rear projection only and may be placed on the trunk/rear gate/interior if rear visibility is obstructed by other emergency lights.
- Blue lights may be used when the vehicle is engaged in an emergency operation.
- Crucially, blue lights are not authorized unless the vehicle also displays red or red/white lights as authorized otherwise in this subdivision.

4) Effective date
- Section 5 states the act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who or what is affected

  • Emergency response entities and their vehicles in New York, including:
    • Police, fire, ambulance and EMS providers
    • OCME (New York City) and county EMS vehicles
    • Correction vehicles
    • Blood and human organ transport vehicles
    • Environmental and hazardous materials response vehicles
    • Sanitation patrol and ordnance disposal vehicles
  • Law enforcement and emergency responders’ lighting configurations, particularly regarding the optional use of blue lights in certain situations and the requirement to maintain red or red/white lights as applicable.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill was introduced on April 24, 2026 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Transportation.
  • It contains immediate-effect language, with Section 5 indicating immediate take effect upon enactment.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Provides a clearer framework for which vehicles are authorized as emergency vehicles and under what circumstances they may operate.
  • Expands or clarifies lighting configurations by allowing blue lights for rear projection on several vehicle types, subject to maintaining red/white visibility; potentially affecting driver training, police/fire EMS protocols, and public understanding of emergency signaling.
  • The definition of “Emergency operation” broadens contexts in which emergency vehicle operations are recognized, which could influence traffic stop priorities, right-of-way rules, and incident response procedures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.