Bill Text: NY S05100 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to lowering the age for universal hunting licenses from 14 years old to 12 years old.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-18 - REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION [S05100 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S05100-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5100

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    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:

     1    Section 1. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph b of subdivision 3  of  section
     2  11-0713  of  the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 3
     3  of part R of chapter 58 of the laws of  2013,  is  amended  to  read  as
     4  follows:
     5    (3)  The issuing officer shall not issue a muzzle-loading privilege to
     6  any person unless the applicant presents a  hunting  license  issued  to
     7  that  person  for  the  corresponding license year and such person is at
     8  least [fourteen] twelve years old.
     9    § 2. Paragraph b of subdivision 6 of section 11-0703 of  the  environ-
    10  mental conservation law, as amended by section 2 of part R of chapter 58
    11  of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
    12    b.  Except  as provided in section 11-0707 and section 11-0709 of this
    13  title, no person shall (1) hunt wild deer or  bear  unless  such  person
    14  holds  and  is entitled to exercise the privileges of a hunting license,
    15  and meets the requirements of this article; (2) hunt wild deer  or  bear
    16  with  a longbow in a special longbow season unless such person holds and
    17  is entitled to exercise the privileges  of  a  hunting  license  with  a
    18  bowhunting  privilege and meets the requirements of this article; or (3)
    19  hunt wild deer or bear  with  a  muzzle-loading  firearm  in  a  special
    20  muzzle-loading  firearm season unless such person is at least [fourteen]
    21  twelve years old and holds a hunting license with a muzzle-loading priv-
    22  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

     1    § 3. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of  section  11-0929  of  the  environmental
     2  conservation  law,  subdivision 1 as amended by section 20 of part EE of
     3  chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, subdivision 2 as amended by  section  13
     4  of part R of chapter 58 of the laws of 2013, paragraph a and the opening
     5  paragraph  of  paragraph  b of subdivision 2 as amended by section 11 of
     6  part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, subparagraph 6 of paragraph b
     7  of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 192 of  the  laws  of  2016,  are
     8  amended to read as follows:
     9    1.  A  licensee  who is twelve or thirteen years of age shall not hunt
    10  wildlife with a gun or a longbow unless [he or  she]  such  licensee  is
    11  accompanied  by  [his  or  her]  their parent or legal guardian, or by a
    12  person twenty-one years of age or older designated in writing by [his or
    13  her] their parent or legal guardian on a form prescribed by the  depart-
    14  ment, who holds a hunting license. [A licensee who is twelve or thirteen
    15  years of age shall not hunt with a crossbow.]
    16    2. A licensee who is fourteen or fifteen years of age shall not[:
    17    a.]  hunt  wildlife  with  a gun, crossbow or longbow, other than wild
    18  deer or bear as provided in [paragraph  b]  subdivision  three  of  this
    19  [subdivision]  section,  unless [he or she] such licensee is accompanied
    20  by [his or her]  their  parent  or  legal  guardian  holding  a  hunting
    21  license,  or  by  a person eighteen years of age or older, designated in
    22  writing by [his or her] their parent or  legal  guardian,  holding  such
    23  license;
    24    [b.]  3. a licensee who is twelve, thirteen, fourteen or fifteen years
    25  of age, shall not hunt wild deer or bear with a crossbow or gun unless:
    26    [(1) he or she] (a) such licensee is accompanied by [his or her] their
    27  parent or a legal guardian, or a youth mentor who is twenty-one years of
    28  age or older designated in writing by the parent or  legal  guardian  of
    29  the licensee on a form prescribed by the department; and
    30    [(2)]  b. such parent, guardian or youth mentor has had at least three
    31  years of experience in hunting big game; and
    32    [(3)] c. such  parent,  guardian  or  youth  mentor  holds  a  hunting
    33  license; and
    34    [(4)]  d.  such  parent,  guardian  or youth mentor maintains physical
    35  control over the minor [he or she is] they are accompanying at all times
    36  while hunting; and
    37    [(5)] e. such parent, guardian or youth mentor and the  minor  [he  or
    38  she  is] they are accompanying remain at ground level at all times while
    39  hunting; and
    40    [(6)] f. such parent, guardian or youth mentor and the  minor  [he  or
    41  she  is] they are accompanying shall each display either a minimum total
    42  of two hundred fifty square inches of solid fluorescent orange  or  pink
    43  or patterned fluorescent orange or pink consisting of no less than fifty
    44  percent  fluorescent  orange  or  pink material worn above the waist and
    45  visible from all directions, or a hat or cap with  no  less  than  fifty
    46  percent  of  the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or pink
    47  material and visible from all directions. For purposes  of  this  [para-
    48  graph]  subdivision,  "physical  control"  shall  mean that the physical
    49  proximity of the minor to the parent, guardian or youth mentor  is  such
    50  that  the  parent,  guardian or youth mentor is reasonably able to issue
    51  verbal directions and instructions, maintain  constant  visual  contact,
    52  and otherwise provide guidance and supervision to the minor.
    53    §  4.  Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 11-0701 of the environ-
    54  mental conservation law, as amended by section 21 of part EE of  chapter
    55  55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
        S. 5100                             3

     1    a.  entitles  a  holder who is twelve or thirteen years of age to hunt
     2  wildlife, [except big game,] as provided in  title  9  of  this  article
     3  subject,  specifically,  to  the  provisions  of section 11-0929 of this
     4  article. It entitles such holder to  possess  firearms  as  provided  in
     5  section  265.05  of  the  penal law. [A holder who is twelve or thirteen
     6  years of age shall not hunt with a crossbow.]
     7    § 5. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 11-0901
     8  of the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 19 of  part
     9  EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
    10    (3)  crossbows  may  be  used but only by licensees who are [fourteen]
    11  twelve years of age or older.
    12    § 6. Section 11-0933 of the environmental conservation law,  as  added
    13  by  section  22 of part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended
    14  to read as follows:
    15  § 11-0933. Taking small game by crossbow.
    16    Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, or any  prior  notwith-
    17  standing  language  in  this article, the department may, by regulation,
    18  authorize the taking of small game and wild upland game birds by the use
    19  of a crossbow by any licensed person [fourteen] twelve years of  age  or
    20  older,  in  any  small game season, in any area designated in items (a),
    21  (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (i), (k), and (l) of paragraph a of subdivision
    22  two of section 11-0907 of this title in which a shotgun or muzzle loader
    23  is permitted.
    24    § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.