NY State Senate Bill 2025-S9473

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 16, 2026	referred to environmental conservation

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10352
Current Committee:: Senate Environmental Conservation
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §11-0917, En Con L; amd §71-z, Ag & Mkts L

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits game taken by a firearm using lead ammunition from being donated for human consumption.

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9473

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the environmental conservation law and the agriculture
and markets law, in relation to enacting the "lead-free game donation
act"

 
PURPOSE:

Enacts the lead-free game donation act.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 states that this act shall be known as the "lead-free game
donation act."

Section 2 states the legislative findings.

Section 3 amends paragraphs d of subdivision 9 of section 11-0917 of the
environmental conservation law to require labels on donated game to

include information on the method and category of ammunition used to
take the game.

Section 4 adds a new subdivision 11 to section 11-0917 to the environ-
mental conservation law to make game taken by firearm using lead ammuni-
tion ineligible for donation.

Section 5 amends section 71-z of the agriculture and markets law.
Subdivision one of this section shall not apply to donations or distrib-
utions of game or wild game taken by firearm with lead ammunition.

Section 6 establishes the effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Lead is a potent neurotoxin for which no level of exposure is considered
safe. Decades of scientific and medical research have established that
lead exposure can cause irreversible harm, particularly to children and
pregnant people. Even low levels of lead in the body are associated with
damage to the developing brain and nervous system, resulting in learning
disabilities, behavioral problems, reduced IQ, and other lifelong
impairments. Lead exposure during pregnancy can also affect fetal devel-
opment, with consequences that persist throughout life. Lead accumulates
in the body over time, so preventable sources of exposure must be elimi-
nated.

Game harvested with lead ammunition has been shown to contain small,
widely dispersed fragments that are not readily visible or removable
during processing. When meat taken with lead enters the charitable food
system, recipients, often the poorest and most vulnerable New Yorkers,
may unknowingly consume this toxin. Individuals and families who rely on
donated food should not face heightened exposure to lead simply because
of economic circumstance. By ensuring that only game taken with non-lead
ammunition or archery equipment (including crossbows newly authorized
for broader use) is eligible for donation, this legislation will remove
another preventable source of lead exposure as has previously been done

with shot used for waterfowl hunting, gasoline, residential paint, and
drinking water service lines.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a law.
Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
tive date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
effective date.

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9473
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 16, 2026
                                ___________
 
 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 and  the  agriculture
   and  markets law, in relation to enacting the "lead-free game donation
   act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "lead-free game donation act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that:
   1. Lead is a potent neurotoxin; no level  of  exposure  is  considered
 safe for humans. Children and pregnant people are most at risk.
   2. Scientific studies and public health reviews have demonstrated that
 game  taken  with lead-based ammunition contains small, widely dispersed
 lead fragments.
   3. Recipients of charitable food donations,  often  the  neediest  New
 Yorkers, should not bear the risk of lead contamination in donated game.
   4.  Chapter  358  of the laws of 2025 expanded lawful participation in
 archery seasons, including through the use of crossbows.
   5. Encouraging the continuing growth of the use of non-lead ammunition
 is consistent with existing  department  of  environmental  conservation
 outreach  programs,  and  aligns  with  New  York's broader wildlife and
 public health goals.
   § 3. Paragraph d of subdivision 9 of section 11-0917 of  the  environ-
 mental  conservation law, as amended by chapter 468 of the laws of 2011,
 is amended to read as follows:
   d. Game legally taken may be donated to, and possessed,  prepared  and
 distributed  by a charitable or not-for-profit organization which serves
 or distributes food without cost to the poor or needy. Game or  packages
 of  game  donated  pursuant to this paragraph shall, notwithstanding the
 requirements for tagging and labelling of game contained in paragraph  b
 of  subdivision  [5]  FIVE  of section 11-0911 of this title, be tagged,
 labelled or marked "not for sale" and such tag, label or  marking  shall
 identify  the  type  of  meat,  THE METHOD USED TO TAKE THE GAME AND THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD14603-02-6
 S. 9473                             2
 
 CATEGORY OF AMMUNITION IF SO USED, the license number of the taker,  the
 name  and address of the professional processor of the game and the date
 of processing.  The department shall make available instructions for the
 safe and sanitary preparation of game, a list of professional processors
 where potential donors may take their game for preparation and packaging
 and  a  list  of charitable or not-for-profit organizations which accept
 donations of game. Professional processors, charitable and  not-for-pro-
 fit  organizations  may  notify  the  department  of  their intention to
 participate in such distribution, and the department shall include  them
 in its lists unless good cause otherwise exists.
   §  4. Section 11-0917 of the environmental conservation law is amended
 by adding a new subdivision 11 to read as follows:
   11. A.  FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, "LEAD AMMUNITION" SHALL MEAN
 ANY AMMUNITION THAT CONTAINS ONE OR MORE PERCENT OF LEAD BY WEIGHT.
   B. GAME TAKEN BY FIREARM USING LEAD AMMUNITION SHALL BE INELIGIBLE FOR
 DONATION, DISTRIBUTION, OR SERVICE FOR HUMAN  CONSUMPTION  IN  NEW  YORK
 STATE.
   C.  THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH,
 MAY DEVELOP, UPDATE, AND MAKE PUBLIC ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE, A LIST
 OF AMMUNITION THAT IS RECOGNIZED AS NON-LEAD AMMUNITION.
   D. NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL PROHIBIT GAME TAKEN  BY  ARCHERY,
 OR  BY  FIREARM  USING  NON-LEAD  AMMUNITION,  FROM  BEING  ELIGIBLE FOR
 DONATION, DISTRIBUTION, OR SERVICE.
   § 5. Section 71-z of the agriculture and markets  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
   4.  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO DONATIONS OR
 DISTRIBUTIONS OF GAME OR WILD GAME TAKEN BY FIREARM  WITH  LEAD  AMMUNI-
 TION,  AS  DEFINED BY SUBDIVISION ELEVEN OF SECTION 11-0917 OF THE ENVI-
 RONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW.   PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT  NOTHING  IN  THIS
 SUBDIVISION  SHALL PREVENT SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION FROM APPLYING
 TO DONATIONS OR DISTRIBUTIONS OF GAME OR WILD GAME TAKEN BY ARCHERY,  OR
 BY FIREARM WITH NON-LEAD AMMUNITION.
   § 6. This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a
 law. 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.

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Senate Bill S9473

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Actions

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Pete Harckham

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee

Actions

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments