NY State Senate Bill S4099

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 03, 2023	referred to environmental conservation

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S4099 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2917
Current Committee:: Senate Environmental Conservation
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§11-0901 & 71-0921, En Con L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S4074
2015-2016: S2634
2017-2018: S5148
2019-2020: S4253, A9775
2021-2022: S6643, A5746

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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.

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S4099

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
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 'pest five years, with dozens held in New York State.
Wildlife killing contests are counterproductive to modern, science-based
wildlife management principles because they are ineffective and there
are no studies to support claims that these contests are an effective
way to control populations. Indiscriminate killing of wild carnivores
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 struc-
tures of animals that are killed. In the case of coyotes, this
disruption allows more coyotes to produce and can increase conflicts
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 populations
in our region. And in the spring of 2019, the NYSDEC reported that hunt-
ers 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: S.6643/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.

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4099
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 3, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  KENNEDY,  ADDABBO, BRISPORT, GIANARIS, GOUNARDES,
   HARCKHAM, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, KAVANAGH, KRUEGER,  MAY  --  read  twice  and
   ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed 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:
 
   Section 1. 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:
   14. IT SHALL BE 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 REMAINS  OF  ANY  WILDLIFE
 KILLED DURING THE COURSE OF A CONTEST, COMPETITION, TOURNAMENT, OR DERBY
 CONDUCTED  IN  VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE FORFEITED BY EVERY
 ORGANIZER, PROMOTER, PARTICIPANT  OR  ANY  OTHER  PERSON  CONDUCTING  OR
 INVOLVED  IN  SUCH  CONTEST,  COMPETITION,  TOURNAMENT, OR DERBY AND THE
 REMAINS OF SUCH WILDLIFE SHALL BECOME THE PROPERTY  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT.
 THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT APPLY TO: (A) ANY CONTEST,
 COMPETITION, TOURNAMENT, OR DERBY WITH THE OBJECT OF TAKING  OR  HUNTING
 WHITE-TAILED DEER, TURKEY, OR BEAR; OR (B) SPECIAL DOG TRAINING AREAS OR
 FIELD  TRIALS PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 11-0925 AND 11-0927 OF THIS TITLE, OR
 ANY SIMILAR CANINE PERFORMANCE EVENTS.
   § 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 11-0901 OF THIS
 CHAPTER  INVOLVING  UNLAWFUL  CONTESTS,  COMPETITIONS,  TOURNAMENTS  AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02979-01-3

 S. 4099                             2
 
 DERBYS  TO  TAKE  WILDLIFE. EACH SUCH VIOLATION SHALL BE PUNISHABLE BY A
 FINE OF NOT LESS THAN FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS NOR MORE  THAN  TWO  THOUSAND
 DOLLARS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S4099

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

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Co-Sponsors

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Details

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S4099

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Co-Sponsors

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Details

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S4099 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments