NY State Senate Bill S4976A

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

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

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Actions

view actions (3)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 20, 2023	print number 4976a
Apr 20, 2023	amend and recommit to environmental conservation
Feb 17, 2023	referred to environmental conservation

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

Original

A (Active)

S4976 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2084
Current Committee:: Senate Environmental Conservation
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§11-0901 & 11-0323, En Con L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A8742
2019-2020: A703
2021-2022: S5058, A5728

S4976 - Summary

Prohibits the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on wildlife management areas, state forests, forest preserves, state parks or any other state-owned land that is open for hunting and on land contributing surface water to the New York city water supply.

S4976 - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S4976

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on
state-owned land and land contributing surface water to the New York
city water supply

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the use of lead ammunition when
hunting on state-owned and land contributing surface water to the New
York City water supply

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law
so that ammunition that contains one or more percent of lead by weight
may not be used to take wildlife on state-owned land that is open for
hunting, or land contributing surface water to the New York City water

supply.

Section 2 states the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The naturally occurring metal lead has been known for some time to be
highly toxic to the human body. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous
to children, whose bodies absorb lead more readily than adults. Accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) children's
exposure to lead increases the risk for brain and nervous system damage,
and can lead to many learning and behavioral problems, including a
lowering of IQ. Extreme levels of exposure can lead to seizures, coma,
and death. Although lead has been taken out of many products over the
past few decades most notably paint and gasoline - lead is still the
most common material used for hunting ammunition. When a lead bullet
strikes an animal, the round fragments into many small pieces, not all
of which are easily detectable by the naked eye.

These lead fragments can then be consumed by humans who eat the meat of
the hunted animal. Additionally, fragments from lead bullets are also a
danger to eagles and other animals who consume the gut-piles left behind
by hunters after they've stripped a hunted animal of desirable meat.

The dangers of using lead ammunition are not limited to the fragments
that are left behind in meat. Small mammals and terrestrial birds that
forage for seeds are in danger of ingesting spent lead shot, as are
birds that ingest small stones for grit. Simply discharging lead ammuni-
tion increases environmental lead levels, posing a risk to the person
discharging the ammunition.

Prohibiting the use of ammunition made from lead in state-owned land
where hunting is allowed will further diminish the dangerous presence of
lead in humans and wildlife alike.

Sources:  https://vvww.cdc.goviniosn/topics/lead/health.html
http://www.who.int/mediacentrelfactsheets/fs379/en/
http://escholarship.orgiuditem/6dq3h64x page-1
https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact sheets/pdfs/ lead poisoning
wildbirds2009.pdf

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S5058/A5728 - Died in Environmental Conservation/Passed
Assembly

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
January 1, 2023. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
on or before such effective date.

S4976 - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4976
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- 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
   prohibiting  the  use  of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on
   state-owned land and land contributing surface water to the  New  York
   city water supply
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 3  of  section  11-0901  of  the  environmental
 conservation  law  is  amended  by  adding  a new paragraph h to read as
 follows:
   H. WILDLIFE SHALL NOT BE TAKEN WITH THE USE OF LEAD AMMUNITION ON: (1)
 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS, STATE FORESTS, FOREST PRESERVES, STATE  PARKS
 OR ANY OTHER STATE-OWNED LAND THAT IS OPEN FOR HUNTING; AND (2) THE LAND
 AREA  CONTRIBUTING SURFACE WATER TO THE NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY.  FOR
 THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH "LEAD AMMUNITION" SHALL MEAN ANY  AMMUNI-
 TION THAT CONTAINS ONE OR MORE PERCENT OF LEAD BY WEIGHT.
   §  2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2025. Effective immediate-
 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal  of  any  rule  or  regulation
 necessary  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02894-01-3

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2084
Current Committee:: Senate Environmental Conservation
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§11-0901 & 11-0323, En Con L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A8742
2019-2020: A703
2021-2022: S5058, A5728

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Summary

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S4976A

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on
state-owned land and land contributing surface water to the New York
city water supply

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Prohibits the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on state-
owned land and on land contributing surface water to the New York city
water supply

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law
so that ammunition that contains one or more percent of lead by weight
may not be used to take wildlife on state-owned land that is open for
hunting, or land contributing surface water to the New York City water

supply.

Section 2 amends section 11-0323 of the environmental conservation law
to require that information about lead ammunition prohibitions be
included in the syllabus provided to every person whom a hunting, trap-
ping or fishing license is issued.

Section 3 states the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The naturally occurring metal lead has been known for some time to be
highly toxic to the human body. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous
to children, whose bodies absorb lead more readily than adults. Accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) children's
exposure to lead increases the risk for brain and nervous system damage,
and can lead to many learning and behavioral problems, including a
lowering of IQ. Extreme levels of exposure can lead to seizures, coma,
and death. Although lead has been taken out of many products over the
past few decades most notably paint and gasoline - lead is still the
most common material used for hunting ammunition. When a lead bullet
strikes an animal, the round fragments into many small pieces, not all
of which are easily detectable by the naked eye. These lead fragments
can then be consumed by humans who eat the meat of the hunted animal.
Additionally, fragments from lead bullets are also a danger to eagles
and other animals who consume the gut-piles left behind by hunters after
they've stripped a hunted animal of desirable meat.

The dangers of using lead ammunition are not limited to the fragments
that are left behind in meat. Small mammals and terrestrial birds that
forage for seeds are in danger of ingesting spent lead shot, as are
birds that ingest small stones for grit. Simply discharging lead ammuni-
tion increases environmental lead levels, posing a risk to the person
discharging the ammunition.



Prohibiting the use of ammunition made from lead in state-owned land
where hunting is allowed will further diminish the dangerous presence of
lead in humans and wildlife alike.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosn/topics/lead/health.html

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/

http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6dq3h64x page-1

https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact sheets/pdfs/ lead poisoning
wildbirds2009.pdf

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S5058/A5728 - Died in Environmental Conservation/Passed
Assembly

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect January 1, 2025. Effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
to be made and completed on or before such effective date.

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4976--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
   -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as  amended
   and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
   prohibiting the use of lead ammunition in the taking  of  wildlife  on
   state-owned  land  and land contributing surface water to the New York
   city water supply
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  3  of  section  11-0901 of the environmental
 conservation law is amended by adding a  new  paragraph  h  to  read  as
 follows:
   H. WILDLIFE SHALL NOT BE TAKEN WITH THE USE OF LEAD AMMUNITION ON: (1)
 WILDLIFE  MANAGEMENT AREAS, STATE FORESTS, FOREST PRESERVES, STATE PARKS
 OR ANY OTHER STATE-OWNED LAND THAT IS OPEN FOR HUNTING; AND (2) THE LAND
 AREA CONTRIBUTING SURFACE WATER TO THE NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY.   FOR
 THE  PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH "LEAD AMMUNITION" SHALL MEAN ANY AMMUNI-
 TION THAT CONTAINS ONE OR MORE PERCENT OF LEAD BY WEIGHT.
   § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 11-0323 of the  environmental  conserva-
 tion  law,  as  separately amended by section 19 of part H of chapter 58
 and chapter 342 of the laws of 2012, is amended as follows:
   2. The department shall also prepare  a  syllabus  of  such  laws  and
 information  informing migratory game bird hunters where they can obtain
 information regarding open  seasons  and  bag  limits,  LEAD  AMMUNITION
 PROHIBITIONS,  federal  regulations  pursuant  to  sections  11-1721 and
 11-1723 of this article and of laws relating  to  invasive  species  (as
 defined in section 9-1703 of this chapter). The department shall deliver
 copies  of  such  syllabus  to  county, city, town and village clerks in
 numbers sufficient for the furnishing of one copy to each person to whom

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02894-03-3
 S. 4976--A                          2

 
 a hunting, trapping or fishing license is  issued.  Each  such  licensee
 shall be entitled to one copy of such syllabus.
   §  3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2025. Effective immediate-
 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal  of  any  rule  or  regulation
 necessary  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S4976A

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Bill Amendments

S4976 - Details

S4976 - Summary

S4976 - Sponsor Memo

S4976 - Bill Text download pdf

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Details

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Summary

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S4976A

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Sponsored By

Pete Harckham

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Bill Amendments

S4976 - Details

S4976 - Summary

S4976 - Sponsor Memo

S4976 - Bill Text download pdf

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Details

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Summary

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S4976A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments