Provides for free hunting, fishing and trapping licenses to residents of the state who are active duty members of the U.S. armed forces regardless of where such person is stationed.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4614
SPONSOR: Sempolinski TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to free
hunting, fishing and trapping licenses to state residents who are active
duty members of the United States armed services
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Provides hunting, fishing and trapping licenses at no charge to active
duty members of the United States armed services that are residents of
New York State and are also stationed in New York.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 11-0715 of the environmental
conservation law, as amended by section 4 of part R of chapter 58 of the
laws of 2013, to authorize free fishing licenses, small and big game
licenses and trapping licenses to active duty members of the armed
services regardless of where he or she is stationed.
Section 2: This law shall take effect immediately, or on the effective
date of the amendments of subdivision 2 of section 11-0715 of the envi-
ronmental conservation law, made by section 4 of part R of chapter 58 of
the laws of 2013, whichever shall be later.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, Section 11-0715 of the environmental conservation law
provides free fishing, hunting and trapping licenses to active duty
members of the armed forces who are residents of New. York State
stationed outside of the State and will be staying in New York for no
longer than 30 days. In other words. residents of New York State who are
stationed in the State are not eligible for this benefit. This legis-
lation seeks to correct that inconsistency and provide free hunting,
fishing and trapping licenses to active duty members of the military
that are residents of New York State and stationed in the State. The
2009-10 SPY Enacted Budget amended Section 11- 0715 of the environmental
conservation law to allow residents of the state who are also active
members of the organized militia of the state or in the reserves of any
branch of the U.S. armed forces to receive hunting and trapping licenses
free of charge. However, the gap in law stilt exists for New York State
residents who are also members of the U.S. armed forces that happen to
also be stationed in New York State. They should be entitled to receive
these hunting and trapping licenses free of charge in the same manner
that other active members of the U.S. armed forces or reserves and New
York state militia members do. This legislation corrects that oversight
in law.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.2492
2021-22: A.8362
2019-20: A.5833
2017-18: A.4991
2015-16: A. 5292
2013-14: A.6011A
2011-12: A.1909
2009-10: A.7479
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Minimal
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4614
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SEMPOLINSKI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to free
hunting, fishing and trapping licenses to state residents who are
active duty members of the United States armed services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 11-0715 of the environmental
2 conservation law, as amended by section 4 of part R of chapter 58 of the
3 laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
4 2. A member of the Shinnecock tribe or the Poospatuck tribe or a
5 member of the six nations, residing on any reservation wholly or partly
6 within the state, is entitled to receive free of charge a fishing
7 license, a hunting license, a muzzle-loading privilege, a trapping
8 license, and a bowhunting privilege; a resident of the state who is a
9 member of the United States armed forces in active service [who is not]
10 regardless of where they are stationed [within the state and has not
11 been herein longer than thirty days on leave or furlough], is entitled
12 to receive free of charge a fishing license, a hunting license, and a
13 trapping license; a resident of the state who is an active member of the
14 organized militia of the state of New York as defined by section one of
15 the military law, or the reserve components of the armed forces of the
16 United States, and excluding members of the inactive national guard and
17 individual ready reserve, is entitled to receive free of charge a fish-
18 ing license, a hunting license, and a trapping license; and a resident
19 who is blind is entitled to receive a fishing license free of charge.
20 For the purposes of this subdivision a person is blind only if either:
21 (a) his or her central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the
22 better eye with correcting lenses, or (b) his or her visual acuity is
23 greater than 20/200 but is accompanied by a limitation of the field of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08134-01-5
A. 4614 2
1 vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an
2 angle no greater than 20 degrees.
3 A resident in the state for a period of thirty days immediately prior
4 to the date of application who has attained the age of seventy is enti-
5 tled to receive a fishing license, a trapping license, and a hunting
6 license, at a cost of five dollars for each license.
7 A resident in the state for a period of thirty days immediately prior
8 to the date of application who has attained the age of seventy is enti-
9 tled to receive free of charge a bowhunting privilege and a muzzle-load-
10 ing privilege.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
