S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5402--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced   by   Sens.  HOYLMAN-SIGAL,  FERNANDEZ,  HARCKHAM,  JACKSON,
   KAVANAGH, MARTINEZ, SERRANO, SKOUFIS, WEBB -- read twice  and  ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environ-
   mental  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.
                                                            LBD01452-06-5
 S. 5402--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.