Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE |
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Feb 08, 2023 | referred to environmental conservation |
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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A3851 (ACTIVE) - Details
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