Assembly Bill A1229

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1229--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. R. CARROLL, COLTON, REYES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN,
   WEPRIN, SEAWRIGHT, SIMONE, EPSTEIN, BURDICK, STECK, DAVILA, ROSENTHAL,
   SHIMSKY, MAMDANI, BORES, LEVENBERG, KELLES -- read once  and  referred
   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
   protecting wolves
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by  adding  a
 new section 11-0541 to read as follows:
 § 11-0541. PROTECTION OF WOLVES.
   1. ALL WILD CANIDS TAKEN IN THE STATE SHALL BE REPORTED TO THE DEPART-
 MENT  IN  A  MANNER  TO BE DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT. FOR PURPOSES OF
 THIS SECTION, "WILD CANIDS" SHALL MEAN  COYOTES  AND  WOLVES,  INCLUDING
 CANIDS  THAT  WHEN TAKEN WERE THOUGHT TO BE COYOTES BUT WHICH SUBSEQUENT
 DNA ANALYSIS REVEALED TO BE WOLVES.
   2. WILD CANIDS THAT ARE TAKEN, THAT HAVE A WEIGHT GREATER  THAN  FIFTY
 POUNDS  OR  THAT  MEET ADDITIONAL CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT
 SHALL BE SUBJECTED TO A DNA ANALYSIS, PAID FOR  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT,  TO
 DETERMINE  THE GENETIC COMPOSITION OF THE ANIMAL. SUCH ANALYSIS SHALL BE
 CONDUCTED BY A REPUTABLE LABORATORY THAT HAS PRIOR EXPERIENCE GENOTYPING
 HYBRIDIZED CANIS POPULATIONS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.  THE  RESULTS
 OF  ANY  ANALYSIS  PERFORMED SHALL PROMPTLY BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC BY
 POSTING ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   3. THE DEPARTMENT MAY ALSO ACCEPT FOR DNA ANALYSIS A WILD CANID  MEET-
 ING  THE CRITERIA IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION THAT IS VOLUNTARILY
 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT BY ANY PERSON.
   4. NO INFORMATION, OR WILD CANID OR ANY PORTION  THEREOF,  VOLUNTARILY
 SUBMITTED  BY ANY PERSON TO THE DEPARTMENT  PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION MAY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01452-05-5
              

 A. 1229--A                          2
 
 BE USED AS EVIDENCE OF A VIOLATION BY SUCH PERSON OF SECTION 11-0535  OF
 THIS TITLE.
   5.  IN THE EVENT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES, BASED ON DNA ANALYSIS
 OR OTHER SCIENTIFIC METHOD, THAT A WILD CANID  TAKEN  OR  FOUND  IN  THE
 STATE  IS  A WOLF, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DETERMINE THE LOCATION WHERE THE
 WOLF WAS TAKEN OR FOUND. IN THE EVENT  THE  DEPARTMENT  DETERMINES  THAT
 THERE  IS REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE MAY BE ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL
 WOLVES IN THE VICINITY WHERE THE WOLF WAS TAKEN OR FOUND, IT MAY TAKE OR
 INSTITUTE  SUCH  MEASURES CONSISTENT WITH ITS EXISTING AUTHORITY THAT IT
 DEEMS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION  OF  SUCH  ADDITIONAL  WOLF  OR
 WOLVES.
   6. NO LATER THAN JANUARY FIRST THREE YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
 THIS  SECTION,  AND  EVERY  SIX  YEARS  THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
 SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF WOLVES IN THE STATE,
 BASED ON DATA COLLECTED BY OR SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT AND SUCH OTHER
 METHODS AS DETERMINED APPROPRIATE BY THE DEPARTMENT.  THE STATUS  REPORT
 SHALL BE SIMULTANEOUSLY POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   7.  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL  MODIFY  ITS  HUNTING AND TRAPPING TRAINING
 CURRICULUM TO INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF
 WOLVES IN THE STATE, THE LEGAL PROTECTIONS  FOR  WOLVES,  THE  REPORTING
 REQUIREMENTS  FOR  WILD  CANIDS,  AND  HOW  TO DISTINGUISH A WOLF FROM A
 COYOTE WHEN A HUNTER OR TRAPPER IS IN THE FIELD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1229--B
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. R. CARROLL, COLTON, REYES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN,
   WEPRIN, SEAWRIGHT, SIMONE, EPSTEIN, BURDICK, STECK, DAVILA, ROSENTHAL,
   SHIMSKY, MAMDANI, BORES, LEVENBERG, KELLES -- read once  and  referred
   to   the   Committee   on   Environmental  Conservation  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
   protecting wolves; and providing for the  repeal  of  such  provisions
   upon expiration thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by  adding  a
 new section 11-0541 to read as follows:
 § 11-0541. PROTECTION OF WOLVES.
   1. ALL WILD CANIDS TAKEN IN THE STATE SHALL BE REPORTED TO THE DEPART-
 MENT  IN  A  MANNER  TO BE DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT. FOR PURPOSES OF
 THIS SECTION, "WILD CANIDS" SHALL MEAN  COYOTES  AND  WOLVES,  INCLUDING
 CANIDS  THAT  WHEN TAKEN WERE THOUGHT TO BE COYOTES BUT WHICH SUBSEQUENT
 GENETIC ANALYSIS REVEALED TO BE WOLVES.
   2. WILD CANIDS THAT ARE TAKEN, THAT HAVE A WEIGHT GREATER  THAN  FIFTY
 POUNDS OR THAT MEET ADDITIONAL CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN
 REGULATION, SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT, IN A MANNER PRESCRIBED
 BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  IN  REGULATION.   SUCH REGULATIONS SHALL ENSURE THE
 ANONYMITY OF ALL PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, EXCLUDING INFORMATION
 RELATING TO THE LOCATION OF  TAKING.  WILD  CANIDS  SUBMITTED  SHALL  BE
 SUBJECT  TO  GENETIC  ANALYSIS, PAID FOR BY THE DEPARTMENT, TO DETERMINE
 THE GENETIC COMPOSITION OF THE ANIMAL. SUCH ANALYSIS SHALL BE  CONDUCTED
 BY  A  REPUTABLE  LABORATORY THAT HAS PRIOR EXPERIENCE GENOTYPING HYBRI-
 DIZED CANIS POPULATIONS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THE RESULTS OF ANY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01452-09-5
 A. 1229--B                          2
              

 
 ANALYSIS PERFORMED SHALL PROMPTLY BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC  BY  POSTING
 ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   3.  THE  DEPARTMENT  MAY ALSO ACCEPT FOR GENETIC ANALYSIS A WILD CANID
 MEETING THE CRITERIA IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION THAT  IS  VOLUN-
 TARILY  SUBMITTED,  IN  A  MANNER  PRESCRIBED  BY THE DEPARTMENT, TO THE
 DEPARTMENT BY ANY PERSON.
   4. IN THE EVENT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES, BASED ON GENETIC ANAL-
 YSIS OR OTHER SCIENTIFIC METHOD, THAT A WILD CANID TAKEN OR FOUND IN THE
 STATE IS A WOLF, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DETERMINE THE LOCATION  WHERE  THE
 WOLF  WAS  TAKEN  OR  FOUND. IN THE EVENT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES THAT
 THERE  IS REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE MAY BE ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL
 WOLVES IN THE VICINITY WHERE THE WOLF WAS TAKEN OR FOUND, IT MAY TAKE OR
 INSTITUTE SUCH MEASURES CONSISTENT WITH ITS EXISTING AUTHORITY  THAT  IT
 DEEMS  NECESSARY  TO  ENSURE  THE  PROTECTION OF SUCH ADDITIONAL WOLF OR
 WOLVES.
   5. NO LATER THAN APRIL FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT,  THE  DEPART-
 MENT SHALL SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF WOLVES IN
 THE STATE, BASED ON DATA COLLECTED BY OR SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT AND
 SUCH  OTHER  METHODS  AS DETERMINED APPROPRIATE BY THE DEPARTMENT, AND A
 RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHETHER THE WILD CANID TESTING  PROGRAM  SHOULD  BE
 CONTINUED.    THE STATUS REPORT SHALL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S
 WEBSITE.
   6. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MODIFY, AND UPDATE AS NECESSARY, THE  SYLLABUS
 REQUIRED  UNDER  SUBDIVISION  TWO OF SECTION 11-0323 OF THIS ARTICLE, TO
 INCLUDE THE LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR  WOLVES,  THE  TESTING  AND  REPORTING
 REQUIREMENTS  FOR WILD CANIDS UNDER THIS SECTION, AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH
 A WOLF FROM A COYOTE WHEN A HUNTER OR TRAPPER IS IN THE FIELD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026 and shall  expire  and
 be deemed repealed January 1, 2029. Effective immediately, the addition,
 amendment,  and/or  repeal  of  any rule or regulation necessary for the
 implementation of this act on its effective date  is  authorized  to  be
 made and completed on or before such date.