BUFFALO, N.Y. — We've seen plenty of push back on the idea of making New Yorkers with perfectly good license plates pay to replace them.
Now there's a call for hearings.
Republican State Senator James Tedisco wants a public hearing held on the state's new license replacement program, calling the $25 cost for a new plate a tax.
Under the governor's plan, plates 10 years old or older, regardless of condition, need to be replaced beginning in April as drivers renew their registration.
He says there have been issues with plates being read as they go through cashless tolls.
But even the Thruway Authority says there have been no issues of plates not being read at cashless tolls.
Still, the governor's office says the new plates are needed to get rid of legibility issues.
That's not good enough even for members of the governor's own party.
"No one has explained to me why it makes sense to take perfectly good license plates and throw them in the garbage i'm taught that that's waste," Assemblymember Sean Ryan said.
The governor has pointed out that legislators passed the fee before he took office.
"I heard a senator on TV 'shocked and amazed' that the price is $25. You set it in law. It's been $25 for 10 years," Cuomo said Tuesday.
But the law allows the DMV to charge up to $25, meaning it can charge less.
"There's a general concern about why anyone is being charged to replace something that doesn't need to be replacing," Ryan said.
State Senator Chris Jacobs sits on the senate's transportation committee, which is chaired by Senator Tim Kennedy. Jacobs says all options are being looked at.
The state could make $75 million off the new plates.
Senator Kennedy has issued a statement saying the state's license plate proposal will be looked at in state budget hearings.
The DMV has also issued a statement saying the governor invites lawmakers back to Albany for a special session to lower the $25 fee for a new plate and that the state is open to determining what plates are still in good condition if they're 10 years old or older.