NY State Senate Bill 2023-S3324

Senate Bill S3324

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Allows persons who are permanently disabled and require the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation
Jan 30, 2023	referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation

co-Sponsors

2023-S3324 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4411
Current Committee:: Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation
Law Section:: Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §13.19, Pks & Rec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7706, A9914
2021-2022: S1833, A261

2023-S3324 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows certain persons who are permanently disabled and require the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state.

2023-S3324 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3324

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to allowing persons who are permanently disabled and require
the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public campsites,
parks and other public places of recreation in this state

 
PURPOSE:

To expand the existing NYS Parks Access Pass program to provide free use
of state parks to individuals who require the use of a wheelchair to
access state parks.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends section 13.19 of the Parks, Recreation, and Historic
Preservation law to define "non-ambulatory" as "a person who is perma-
nently disabled and requires the use of a wheelchair to access park
facilities or is unable to move about in a field, wood, or other natural

area without mechanical assistance."

Section 2: Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The New York State Parks Access Pass program grants certain New Yorkers
with disabilities free use of "state parks, historic sites and recre-
ational facilities operated by the New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation." Under current law, an individual must be
entirely "non-ambulatory" and require the use of a wheelchair at all
times in order to qualify for an access pass. Yet there are some people
who have disabilities such as muscular dystrophy that leave them some
limited degree of mobility in level interior spaces while still making
use of a wheelchair or other mechanical assistance a necessity in parks
and other outdoor and non-level spaces. These individuals should be
eligible for a New York State Parks Access Pass.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Senate

2020- S7706, Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation

2021-2022- S1833, Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and
Recreation

Assembly

2020- A9914, Referred to Tourism, Parks, Arts And Sports Development

2021-2022- A261, Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recre-
ation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S3324 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3324
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 30, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  SKOUFIS, BROUK -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs,
   Tourism, Parks and Recreation
 
 AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law,  in
   relation  to allowing persons who are permanently disabled and require
   the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of  the  public  camp-
   sites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 13.19 of the parks, recreation and historic preser-
 vation law, as amended by chapter 649 of the laws of 1977, is amended to
 read as follows:
   § 13.19 Free use of campsites.  Notwithstanding the provisions of  any
 other law, any person who is blind, non-ambulatory, or an amputee or any
 veteran  of  the  wars  of  the  United States, who has at any time been
 awarded by the federal government an allowance towards the  purchase  of
 an automobile or is eligible for such an award shall be permitted to use
 any of the public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation
 in this state, upon the same terms and conditions as apply to the gener-
 al  public, but without the payment of any fees or other charges for the
 use of such campsites, parks and other public places of recreation.  FOR
 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "NON-AMBULATORY" SHALL MEAN A  PERSON  WHO  IS
 PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REQUIRES THE USE OF A WHEELCHAIR TO ACCESS PARK
 FACILITIES OR IS UNABLE TO MOVE ABOUT IN A FIELD, WOOD, OR OTHER NATURAL
 AREA WITHOUT MECHANICAL ASSISTANCE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05470-01-3

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Senate Bill S3324

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Sponsored By

James Skoufis