Senate Bill S5100

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5100
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 18, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  GRIFFO,  GALLIVAN,  HELMING, O'MARA, ORTT -- 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
   lowering the age for universal hunting licenses  from  fourteen  years
   old to twelve years old
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph b of subdivision 3  of  section
 11-0713  of  the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 3
 of part R of chapter 58 of the laws of  2013,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   (3)  The issuing officer shall not issue a muzzle-loading privilege to
 any person unless the applicant presents a  hunting  license  issued  to
 that  person  for  the  corresponding license year and such person is at
 least [fourteen] TWELVE years old.
   § 2. Paragraph b of subdivision 6 of section 11-0703 of  the  environ-
 mental conservation law, as amended by section 2 of part R of chapter 58
 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  Except  as provided in section 11-0707 and section 11-0709 of this
 title, no person shall (1) hunt wild deer or  bear  unless  such  person
 holds  and  is entitled to exercise the privileges of a hunting license,
 and meets the requirements of this article; (2) hunt wild deer  or  bear
 with  a longbow in a special longbow season unless such person holds and
 is entitled to exercise the privileges  of  a  hunting  license  with  a
 bowhunting  privilege and meets the requirements of this article; or (3)
 hunt wild deer or bear  with  a  muzzle-loading  firearm  in  a  special
 muzzle-loading  firearm season unless such person is at least [fourteen]
 TWELVE years old and holds a hunting license with a muzzle-loading priv-
 ilege and meets the requirements of this article.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06755-01-5
 S. 5100                             2
              

 
   § 3. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of  section  11-0929  of  the  environmental
 conservation  law,  subdivision 1 as amended by section 20 of part EE of
 chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, subdivision 2 as amended by  section  13
 of part R of chapter 58 of the laws of 2013, paragraph a and the opening
 paragraph  of  paragraph  b of subdivision 2 as amended by section 11 of
 part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, subparagraph 6 of paragraph b
 of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 192 of  the  laws  of  2016,  are
 amended to read as follows:
   1.  A  licensee  who is twelve or thirteen years of age shall not hunt
 wildlife with a gun or a longbow unless [he or  she]  SUCH  LICENSEE  is
 accompanied  by  [his  or  her]  THEIR parent or legal guardian, or by a
 person twenty-one years of age or older designated in writing by [his or
 her] THEIR parent or legal guardian on a form prescribed by the  depart-
 ment, who holds a hunting license. [A licensee who is twelve or thirteen
 years of age shall not hunt with a crossbow.]
   2. A licensee who is fourteen or fifteen years of age shall not[:
   a.]  hunt  wildlife  with  a gun, crossbow or longbow, other than wild
 deer or bear as provided in [paragraph  b]  SUBDIVISION  THREE  of  this
 [subdivision]  SECTION,  unless [he or she] SUCH LICENSEE is accompanied
 by [his or her]  THEIR  parent  or  legal  guardian  holding  a  hunting
 license,  or  by  a person eighteen years of age or older, designated in
 writing by [his or her] THEIR parent or  legal  guardian,  holding  such
 license;
   [b.]  3. A LICENSEE WHO IS TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS
 OF AGE, SHALL NOT hunt wild deer or bear with a crossbow or gun unless:
   [(1) he or she] (A) SUCH LICENSEE is accompanied by [his or her] THEIR
 parent or a legal guardian, or a youth mentor who is twenty-one years of
 age or older designated in writing by the parent or  legal  guardian  of
 the licensee on a form prescribed by the department; and
   [(2)]  B. such parent, guardian or youth mentor has had at least three
 years of experience in hunting big game; and
   [(3)] C. such  parent,  guardian  or  youth  mentor  holds  a  hunting
 license; and
   [(4)]  D.  such  parent,  guardian  or youth mentor maintains physical
 control over the minor [he or she is] THEY ARE accompanying at all times
 while hunting; and
   [(5)] E. such parent, guardian or youth mentor and the  minor  [he  or
 she  is] THEY ARE accompanying remain at ground level at all times while
 hunting; and
   [(6)] F. such parent, guardian or youth mentor and the  minor  [he  or
 she  is] THEY ARE accompanying shall each display either a minimum total
 of two hundred fifty square inches of solid fluorescent orange  or  pink
 or patterned fluorescent orange or pink consisting of no less than fifty
 percent  fluorescent  orange  or  pink material worn above the waist and
 visible from all directions, or a hat or cap with  no  less  than  fifty
 percent  of  the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or pink
 material and visible from all directions. For purposes  of  this  [para-
 graph]  SUBDIVISION,  "physical  control"  shall  mean that the physical
 proximity of the minor to the parent, guardian or youth mentor  is  such
 that  the  parent,  guardian or youth mentor is reasonably able to issue
 verbal directions and instructions, maintain  constant  visual  contact,
 and otherwise provide guidance and supervision to the minor.
   §  4.  Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 11-0701 of the environ-
 mental conservation law, as amended by section 21 of part EE of  chapter
 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
 S. 5100                             3
 
   a.  entitles  a  holder who is twelve or thirteen years of age to hunt
 wildlife, [except big game,] as provided in  title  9  of  this  article
 subject,  specifically,  to  the  provisions  of section 11-0929 of this
 article. It entitles such holder to  possess  firearms  as  provided  in
 section  265.05  of  the  penal law. [A holder who is twelve or thirteen
 years of age shall not hunt with a crossbow.]
   § 5. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 11-0901
 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 19 of  part
 EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   (3)  crossbows  may  be  used but only by licensees who are [fourteen]
 TWELVE years of age or older.
   § 6. Section 11-0933 of the environmental conservation law,  as  added
 by  section  22 of part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended
 to read as follows:
 § 11-0933. Taking small game by crossbow.
   Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, or any  prior  notwith-
 standing  language  in  this article, the department may, by regulation,
 authorize the taking of small game and wild upland game birds by the use
 of a crossbow by any licensed person [fourteen] TWELVE years of  age  or
 older,  in  any  small game season, in any area designated in items (a),
 (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (i), (k), and (l) of paragraph a of subdivision
 two of section 11-0907 of this title in which a shotgun or muzzle loader
 is permitted.
   § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.