Fredonia’s License Event Notification System (LENS) Policy

Fredonia’s License Event Notification System (LENS) Policy

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Office of Finance and Administration

February 21, 2018

February 21, 2018

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