NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7336
SPONSOR: Morinello TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to police staffing at certain parks
PURPOSE::
The purpose of this bill is to ensure that the Commissioner of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation provide for the health, safety and
welfare of the public using the facilities under its jurisdiction by
ensuring adequate state park police officers at such facilities.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1. Calls for a minimum staff of 385 permanent appointed, full
time regional state park police officers at state parks, beaches, camp-
grounds, historic sites and concert venues. Calls for the commissioner
to submit a staffing plan to the legislature prior to opening any new
state park facilities and allows for the commissioner to redeploy
regional state park police officers outside their region in case of an
emergency.
Section 2. Establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION::
This bill would ensure the more than 62 million visitors to New York
State's parks, beaches, and historic sites are kept safe for the general
public by ensuring a minimum of 385 State Park Police officers are
employed by the state.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2021-22: S.1642
2019-20: S. 534/A.5191
2017-18: S.1383/A.5254
2015-16: S.5882/A.8020
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7336
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MORINELLO -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to police staffing at certain parks
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 3.07 of the parks, recreation and historic preser-
2 vation law is amended by adding three new subdivisions 3, 4 and 5 to
3 read as follows:
4 3. The commissioner shall provide for the health, safety and welfare
5 of the public using facilities under its jurisdiction, which shall
6 include ensuring a minimum staff of three hundred eighty-five permanent-
7 ly appointed, full time regional state park police officers at state
8 parks, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites and concert venues. The
9 number of regional state park police officers deployed to each region
10 shall be equivalent to the percentage of each region's five year attend-
11 ance average.
12 4. The commissioner shall not open a new state park, beach, camp-
13 ground, historic site or concert venue unless it submits a staffing plan
14 to the legislature that demonstrates there is a sufficient number of
15 regional state park police to provide adequate and appropriate delivery
16 of police services to patrons visiting the new site.
17 5. The commissioner may redeploy regional state park police officers
18 outside of their assigned region in the case of an emergency. Emergen-
19 cies are defined as natural disasters, declared emergencies and mass
20 casualty incidents.
21 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
22 law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00069-01-3
