S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10863
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 24, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, ENGLEBRIGHT -- (at request of the Depart-
   ment  of  Environmental Conservation) -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
   extending  the  authority of the department of environmental conserva-
   tion to manage deer and bear; and to amend chapter 600 of the laws  of
   1993,  amending  the  environmental  conservation  law relating to the
   management of deer, in relation to the effectiveness of such chapter
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 13 of chapter 600 of the laws of 1993, amending the
 environmental  conservation  law  relating to the management of deer, as
 amended by chapter 209 of the laws  of  2015,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   §  13.  This act shall take effect immediately, provided however, that
 the amendments made to paragraph c of subdivision 1 of  section  11-0907
 of  the environmental conservation law made by section five of this act,
 paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section  11-0907  of  the  environmental
 conservation  law made by section six of this act, paragraphs a and b of
 subdivision 3 of section 11-0907 of the environmental  conservation  law
 made  by  section  seven  of  this  act, paragraph b of subdivision 2 of
 section 11-0907 of the environmental conservation law  made  by  section
 six  of this act, paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 11-0907 of the
 environmental conservation law made by section seven of  this  act,  and
 subdivision  3  of section 11-0911 of the environmental conservation law
 made by section eight of this act shall expire on  December  31,  [2018]
 2021.
   § 2. Subdivision 8, paragraph a of subdivision 9 and subdivision 10 of
 section  11-0903  of  the  environmental conservation law, as amended by
 chapter 209 of the laws of 2015, are amended to read as follows:
   8. Notwithstanding any provision of law, rule  or  regulation  to  the
 contrary,  the department may, until December thirty-first, two thousand
 [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE, fix by regulation the open seasons,  open  areas,
 bag  limit,  manner  of  taking,  possession and disposition of bear and
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14345-01-8

 A. 10863                            2
 
 parts of bears, and the intentional and  incidental  feeding  of  bears.
 Such  regulations  shall  implement the provisions of this article. Such
 regulations, as  the  department  deems  appropriate,  may  provide  for
 special  permits  and  permit quotas. When a special permit is required,
 the department may fix by regulation a fee for each such permit issued.
   a. Until December thirty-first, two  thousand  [eighteen]  TWENTY-ONE,
 whenever in its opinion deer shall become numerous enough in any area to
 cause  substantial damage to property or overbrowsing of deer range, the
 department may fix by regulation special open seasons  for  taking  wild
 deer  of either sex. Subject to this subdivision, the department may fix
 the conditions of such seasons.
   10. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of  subdivision  10  of
 section  11-0901  or  subdivision  2,  subdivision 3 or subdivision 8 of
 section 11-0907 of this title, until December thirty-first, two thousand
 [eighteen] TWENTY-ONE, the department is authorized to adopt regulations
 with respect to the manner of taking, possession, open seasons  and  bag
 limits  for deer. The authority to adopt such regulations is in addition
 to any authority contained in this section or section  11-0913  of  this
 title  respecting regulations fixing open seasons for deer and the issu-
 ance of deer management permits.
   § 3. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 11-0913 of  the  environ-
 mental  conservation law, as amended by chapter 209 of the laws of 2015,
 is amended to read as follows:
   a. Until December thirty-first, two  thousand  [eighteen]  TWENTY-ONE,
 whenever  in its opinion the population of deer in any area of the state
 except in the northern zone is such that additional harvest of  deer  is
 reasonably  necessary  to  properly manage the deer herd in the state in
 balance with the available deer  range  and  natural  food  supply,  the
 department  may  provide  by  regulation for issuance of deer management
 permits, permitting the taking of one deer for the permit,  in  addition
 to  the limit of one deer that may otherwise be taken by one person in a
 license year.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.