S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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6583
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 18, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environ-
mental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
authorizing free fishing, hunting, and trapping licenses to certain
individuals
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 11-0715 of the environmental
conservation law, as amended by section 4 of part R of chapter 58 of the
laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
2. (A) A member of the Shinnecock tribe or the Poospatuck tribe or a
member of the six nations, residing on any reservation wholly or partly
within the state, is entitled to receive free of charge a fishing
license, a hunting license, a muzzle-loading privilege, a trapping
license, and a bowhunting privilege;
[a] (B) A resident of the state who is a member of the United States
armed forces in active service who is not stationed within the state and
has not been herein longer than thirty days on leave or furlough, is
entitled to receive free of charge a fishing license, a hunting license,
and a trapping license;
[a] (C) A resident of the state who is an active member of the organ-
ized militia of the state of New York as defined by section one of the
military law, or the reserve components of the armed forces of the
United States, and excluding members of the inactive national guard and
individual ready reserve, is entitled to receive free of charge a fish-
ing license, a hunting license, and a trapping license; [and
a] (D) A resident who is blind is entitled to receive a fishing
license free of charge. For the purposes of this subdivision a person is
blind only if either: [(a) his or her] SUCH PERSON'S central visual
acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses,
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01821-01-5
S. 6583 2
or [(b) his or her] SUCH PERSON'S visual acuity is greater than 20/200
but is accompanied by a limitation of the field of vision such that the
widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20
degrees[.];
(E) A resident in the state for a period of thirty days immediately
prior to the date of application who has attained the age of seventy is
entitled to receive a fishing license, a trapping license, and a hunting
license, at a cost of five dollars for each license[.];
(F) A resident in the state for a period of thirty days immediately
prior to the date of application who has attained the age of seventy is
entitled to receive free of charge a bowhunting privilege and a muzzle-
loading privilege[.]; AND
(G) A RESIDENT OF THE STATE WHO DEMONSTRATES IN A MANNER ACCEPTABLE TO
THE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY WERE A PARTICIPANT IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
RESCUE, RECOVERY, OR CLEANUP, AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-
ONE OF THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW AND SUFFERED A PERMANENT DISABILI-
TY, AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION TWENTY-ONE OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED NINETY-
TWO OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW, IS ENTITLED TO RECEIVE FREE OF CHARGE A
FISHING LICENSE, A HUNTING LICENSE, AND A TRAPPING LICENSE.
§ 2. This act shall take effect September 1, 2026.