assembly Bill A3851

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to prohibiting the release of certain balloons

download bill text pdf

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Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee


  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor Calendar
    • Passed Senate
    • Passed Assembly
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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Actions

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Assembly Actions - Lowercase
Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 08, 2023 referred to environmental conservation

A3851 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S2262
Current Committee:
Assembly Environmental Conservation
Law Section:
Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:
Add §11-0331, amd §71-0923, En Con L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: A8522, S7985
2021-2022: A5902, S5308

A3851 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits the release of balloons with exceptions for manned hot air balloons, government-related experiments, and balloons released indoors.

A3851 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3851
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 8, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
   prohibiting the release of balloons
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Legislative findings. When balloons are released into our
 airspace, balloon debris is introduced  into  our  environment  and  our
 ecosystem.   Like other plastics, balloon debris takes hundreds of years
 to degrade, resulting in the lasting and harmful pollution of our water-
 ways, beaches, and environment.  Balloon  debris  is  also  particularly
 harmful    to  marine  and  wildlife,  commonly causing injury and death
 through ingestion and entanglement. In addition,  balloons  can  pose  a
 significant economic risk to boaters and the fishing industry by causing
 potentially  severe  damage to boats, while mylar balloons in particular
 can also threaten utility supply. It is necessary  to  curb  the  inten-
 tional  release  of  balloons in order to prevent the wasting of natural
 resources, the littering and pollution of our communities and waterways,
 and the unnecessary harming of marine and wildlife.
   § 2.  The environmental conservation law is amended by  adding  a  new
 section 11-0331 to read as follows:
 § 11-0331. RELEASE OF CERTAIN BALLOONS PROHIBITED.
   1.  NO  PERSON  SHALL  KNOWINGLY  RELEASE OR INTENTIONALLY CAUSE TO BE
 RELEASED OUTDOORS A BALLOON.  FOR PURPOSES OF  THIS  SECTION,  "BALLOON"
 SHALL  REFER  TO  A  FLEXIBLE,  NONPOROUS  BAG MADE OF MATERIALS SUCH AS
 RUBBER, LATEX, POLYCHLOROPRENE OR NYLON  FABRIC  THAT  CONTAINS  HELIUM,
 HYDROGEN, NITROUS OXIDE, OXYGEN, AIR OR WATER.
   2. THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO:
   (A)  BALLOONS  WHICH  ARE  USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF CARRYING SCIENTIFIC
 INSTRUMENTATION DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN EXPERIMENT OR TEST OR BY  A

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03859-01-3
 A. 3851                             2