A02917 Summary:
BILL NO | A02917 |
  | |
SAME AS | SAME AS S04099 |
  | |
SPONSOR | Glick |
  | |
COSPNSR | Simon, Jackson, Gonzalez-Rojas, Epstein, Rosenthal L, McMahon, Kelles, Fahy, Burdick, Lavine, Stern, Colton, Hevesi, Dinowitz, Rivera, Simone, Burgos, Levenberg, Bores, Paulin, Reyes, Thiele, Shimsky, Ardila, Raga, Lee, Steck, Seawright |
  | |
MLTSPNSR | |
  | |
Amd §§11-0901 & 71-0921, En Con L | |
  | |
Provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote, or participate in any contest, competition, tournament or derby where the objective of such contest or competition is to take wildlife. |
A02917 Memo:
Go to topNEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)   BILL NUMBER: A2917 SPONSOR: Glick
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to making contests, competitions, tournaments and derbys to take wildlife unlawful   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill will make it unlawful for any person to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote or participate in any contest, competition, tournament, or derby with the objective of taking or hunting wildlife for prizes for other inducement, or for entertainment. This does not include contests for hunting white-tailed deer, turkey, bear, or fishing contests.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section one. Subdivisions 14, 15 and 16 of section 11-0901 of the envi- ronmental conservation law, subdivision 14 as renumbered by chapter 486 of the laws of 1985, are renumbered subdivisions 15, 16, and 17 and a new subdivision 14 is added, making it unlawful for any person to organ- ize, sponsor, conduct, promote or participate in any contest, competi- tion, tournament, or derby with the objective of taking or hunting wild- life for prizes for other inducement, or for entertainment. This excludes; contests for hunting white-tailed deer, turkey, and bear; field trial testing for dogs; fishing derbies, as fish are not wildlife under this law. Section 2 amends section 71-0921 of the environmental conservation law by adding a new subdivision 10-a. Each such violation shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than two thou- sand dollars. Section 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.   JUSTIFICATION: Wildlife killing contests are organized events in which participants compete for cash and prizes for killing the most, heaviest or largest animals within a certain time period. In New York State, thousands of animals - including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, rabbits, crows, woodchucks and squirrels - are killed in these events every year. The bodies of the animals are often discarded after prizes are awarded. Dependent young may be orphaned--left to die from starvation, predation, or exposure. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) does not oversee or regulate such contests. Wildlife killing contests are a wanton waste of New York's wildlife resources, which belong to all state residents. These organized competi- tions treat animals as disposable pieces in a game to win cash and prizes. Such activities do not align with New York's hunting tradition of sportsmanship and respect for animals and the environment. They could also possibly jeopardize the future of hunting and affect access to private lands for all hunters. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that nearly 600 wildlife killing contests have been held nationwide in the past five years, with dozens held in New York State. Wildlife killing contests are counter-productive to modern, science- based wildlife management principles because they are ineffective and there are no studies to support claims that these contests are an effec- tive way to control populations. Indiscriminate killing of wild carni- vores like coyotes may reduce populations temporarily, but the best available science demonstrates that these species will respond with an increase in reproduction. Killing contests create instability in the family structures of animals that are killed. In the case of coyotes, this disruption allows more coyotes to produce and can increase con flicts with livestock. Additionally, a recent study of the eastern U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida found that coyotes are not adversely impacting deer popu- lations in our region. And in the spring of 2019, the NYSDEC reported that hunters in the state harvested an estimated 227,787 deer during the 2018-19 hunting seasons, approximately 12 percent more than the previous season. This legislation amends New York Environmental Conservation Law to make it unlawful for any person to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote, or participate in any contest, competition, tournament, or derby with the objective of taking or hunting wildlife for prizes or other inducement, or for entertainment. The legislation is narrowly crafted to prohibit only these killing contests for prizes or other inducement, or for entertainment; it would not affect the continued lawful, regulated hunt- ing of furbearer or game species, fishing contests and derbies, or dog field trials. Its sole objective is to prohibit inhumane, unsporting, and wasteful wildlife killing contests, which are opposed by a growing number of wildlife management professionals and state wildlife commis- sions and agencies including Vermont, Arizona, and Massachusetts. To date, the states of California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington and Arizona have banned killing contests.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2021-22: A.5746 2019-20: Similar to A.722 / A.9775 2017-18: A.4116A 2015-16: A.3855 2013-14: A.3661 2011-12: A.3509 2009-10: A.2559 2007-08: A.2614 2005-06: A.1822 2003-04: A.7985   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
A02917 Text:
Go to top STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2917 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 1, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GLICK, SIMON, JACKSON, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, EPSTEIN, L. ROSENTHAL, McMAHON, KELLES, FAHY, BURDICK, LAVINE, STERN, COLTON, HEVESI, DINOWITZ, RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to making contests, competitions, tournaments and derbys to take wildlife unlawful The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 14, 15 and 16 of section 11-0901 of the envi- 2 ronmental conservation law, subdivision 14 as renumbered by chapter 486 3 of the laws of 1985, are renumbered subdivisions 15, 16 and 17 and a new 4 subdivision 14 is added to read as follows: 5 14. It shall be unlawful for any person to organize, sponsor, conduct, 6 promote, or participate in any contest, competition, tournament, or 7 derby with the objective of taking or hunting wildlife for prizes or 8 other inducement, or for entertainment. The remains of any wildlife 9 killed during the course of a contest, competition, tournament, or derby 10 conducted in violation of this subdivision shall be forfeited by every 11 organizer, promoter, participant or any other person conducting or 12 involved in such contest, competition, tournament, or derby and the 13 remains of such wildlife shall become the property of the department. 14 The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to: (a) any contest, 15 competition, tournament, or derby with the object of taking or hunting 16 white-tailed deer, turkey, or bear; or (b) special dog training areas or 17 field trials pursuant to sections 11-0925 and 11-0927 of this title, or 18 any similar canine performance events. 19 § 2. Section 71-0921 of the environmental conservation law is amended 20 by adding a new subdivision 10-a to read as follows: 21 10-a. Violations of subdivision fourteen of section 11-0901 of this 22 chapter involving unlawful contests, competitions, tournaments and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02979-01-3A. 2917 2 1 derbys to take wildlife. Each such violation shall be punishable by a 2 fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than two thousand 3 dollars. 4 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 5 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.