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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4116A
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.
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 to read as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 14. Makes 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.
Section 2. Section 71-0921 of the environmental conservation law is
amended by adding a new subdivision 10-a to read as follows:
10-a. Violations of subdivision fourteen of section of 11-0901 of this
chapter involving unlawful contests, competitions, tournaments and
derbys to take wildlife. Each such misdemeanor shall be punished by
imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not less than
five hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars, or by both such
imprisonment and fine.
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:
Animal killing competitions can generally be described as contests where
the person or team who has killed the most animals, or the heaviest or
largest animals is Crowned the winner.
In animal killing competitions, individuals compete to kill the most
animals, the heaviest animal, or the largest animal. Competitions or
contests such as these are inhumane and provide incentive to killing
animals for glory, prizes or titles. They are different from the average
hunting experience since they are often rigged with animals that cannot
escape. In many cases, these competitions are conducted in a party-like
atmosphere and are more like slaughters or massacres and are unsports-
manlike. These competitions would be considered cruel by a typical hunt-
er and promote excessive and unnecessary killing of wildlife.
This bill will ensure that it is illegal in New York State to sponsor or
participate in wildlife killing contests or competitions and that anyone
in violation is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment or
fine, or both.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4116--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 1, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GLICK, COOK, GALEF, WEINSTEIN, L. ROSENTHAL,
ENGLEBRIGHT, COLTON, SEPULVEDA, D'URSO, McDONOUGH -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- reported
and referred to the Committee on Codes -- recommitted to the Committee
on Codes in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
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. Any wildlife injured during the
9 course of a contest, competition, tournament, or derby conducted in
10 violation of this subdivision shall be transported to a licensed wild-
11 life rehabilitator or veterinarian for treatment or humane euthanasia if
12 best efforts to rehabilitate and release the animal fail. The remains of
13 any wildlife killed during the course of a contest, competition, tourna-
14 ment, or derby conducted in violation of this subdivision shall be
15 forfeited by every organizer, promoter, participant or any other person
16 conducting or involved in such contest, competition, tournament, or
17 derby and the remains of such wildlife shall become the property of the
18 department.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03100-05-8
A. 4116--A 2
1 § 2. Section 71-0921 of the environmental conservation law is amended
2 by adding a new subdivision 10-a to read as follows:
3 10-a. Violations of subdivision fourteen of section 11-0901 of this
4 chapter involving unlawful contests, competitions, tournaments and
5 derbys to take wildlife. Each such misdemeanor shall be punishable by
6 imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not less than
7 five hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars, or by both such
8 imprisonment and fine.
9 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
10 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
