POLICY #: 026 REASON FOR POLICY To comply with the New York State (NYS) Office of General Services requirement that all Executive agencies, including SUNY, participate in the LENS program, and to ensure the validity of motor vehicle operators’ driver licenses and appropriate use of same to operate a NYS owned vehicle thereby safeguarding employees and students and facilitating risk management. POLICY STATEMENT All Fredonia employees, students or Fredonia-affiliated employees who elect to or, as a term and condition of their employment, are required to drive a NYS owned vehicle for the purpose of official state business, must agree to participate in Fredonia’s LENS program by completing Fredonia’s LENS Release Form and providing Finance and Administration with a copy of their current driver license. Employees, students or Fredonia-affiliated employees who are approved to drive a NYS owned vehicle must fully comply with all the terms and conditions of Fredonia’s Use of State Owned and State Leased/Rented Vehicles Policy. Finance and Administration will utilize the LENS program to confidentially ensure the validity of drivers’ NYS driver licenses and thus their ability to operate a NYS owned vehicle to conduct official state business. Drivers who agree to participate in Fredonia’s LENS program holding non-NYS driver licenses are required to provide written documentation that they are eligible to operate a NYS owned vehicle from the issuing authority. Fredonia reserves the right to confidentially ensure the validity of a driver’s non-NYS driver license to ensure that the driver has the ability to lawfully operate a NYS owned vehicle. Fredonia employees, students or Fredonia-affiliated employees who elect to not participate shall complete Fredonia’s LENS Release Form indicating their election to not participate. Such individuals shall operate their personal vehicle for the conduct of official State business and shall be reimbursed at the applicable rate that the US General Service Administration (GSA) sets for Privately Owned Vehicles (POV) Mileage Reimbursement Rate “If Government Furnished Automobile is Available” category. Any employee, student or Fredonia-affiliated employee who elects not to participate in Fredonia’s LENS program, shall not, under any circumstance, operate a NYS owned vehicle in the performance of official State business. Drivers may be denied the use of any campus vehicle based on the criteria outlined in this policy and any affiliated policies. Fredonia reserves the right to, consistent with the terms and conditions of the governing collective bargaining agreement (if any), discipline any employee for violating this policy.
RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND TOOLS, IF ANY DMV LENS Program Driver Privacy Protection Act Guidelines for State Owned or Leased Vehicles SUNY LENS program (Appendix A) Drivers’ License & LENS Release Form Policy 5601, Passenger Vans Use of State Owned and State Leased/Rented Vehicles Policy Vehicle Request Form LENS Release Form
WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY http://fa.fredonia.edu/policy
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENFORCEMENT Office of Finance and Administration 501 Maytum Hall State University of New York at Fredonia Fredonia, New York 14063 (716) 673-3109 Finance.Administration@fredonia.edu
AUTHORITY FOR POLICY Adopted on February 21, 2018 by the authority of the President's Cabinet
DEFINITIONS These definitions apply to terms as they are used in this policy. LENS- License Event Notification System- A NYS Department of Motor Vehicle computer program that verifies the validity of NYS driver licenses and reports any Vehicle and Traffic conviction, license suspension or revocation activity on those licenses to the unit designated. Campus Vehicle - NYS owned vehicle including but not limited to car, van, truck, plow, GEM car, etc.
CONTACTS If you have specific questions or issues, contact the following office(s): Subject Contact Telephone E-mail/Web Address Policy Clarification Finance and Administration 716.673.3434 Finance.Administration@fredonia.edu and Interpretation https://www.fredonia.edu/about/offices/finance-administration |