S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9317
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 10, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. MAY -- (at request of the Department of Environmental
   Conservation)  --  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
   extending  the  authority of the department of environmental conserva-
   tion to manage deer and bear; and to amend chapter 600 of the laws  of
   1993,  amending  the  environmental  conservation  law relating to the
   management of deer, in relation to the effectiveness of such chapter
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 13 of chapter 600 of the laws of 1993, amending the
 environmental  conservation  law  relating to the management of deer, as
 amended by chapter 207 of the laws  of  2021,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   §  13.  This act shall take effect immediately, provided however, that
 the amendments made to paragraph c of subdivision 1 of  section  11-0907
 of  the environmental conservation law made by section five of this act,
 paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section  11-0907  of  the  environmental
 conservation  law made by section six of this act, paragraphs a and b of
 subdivision 3 of section 11-0907 of the environmental  conservation  law
 made  by  section  seven  of  this  act, paragraph b of subdivision 2 of
 section 11-0907 of the environmental conservation law  made  by  section
 six  of this act, paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 11-0907 of the
 environmental conservation law made by section seven of  this  act,  and
 subdivision  3  of section 11-0911 of the environmental conservation law
 made by section eight of this act shall expire on  December  31,  [2024]
 2027.
   § 2. Subdivision 8, paragraph a of subdivision 9 and subdivision 10 of
 section  11-0903  of  the  environmental conservation law, as amended by
 chapter 207 of the laws of 2021, are amended to read as follows:
   8. Notwithstanding any provision of law, rule  or  regulation  to  the
 contrary,  the department may, until December thirty-first, two thousand
 [twenty-four] TWENTY-SEVEN, fix by regulation  the  open  seasons,  open
 areas,  bag  limit, manner of taking, possession and disposition of bear
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14287-01-4
 S. 9317                             2
 
 and parts of bears, and the intentional and incidental feeding of bears.
 Such regulations shall implement the provisions of  this  article.  Such
 regulations,  as  the  department  deems  appropriate,  may  provide for
 special  permits  and  permit quotas. When a special permit is required,
 the department may fix by regulation a fee for each such permit issued.
   a. Until December thirty-first, two thousand [twenty-four] TWENTY-SEV-
 EN, whenever in its opinion deer shall become  numerous  enough  in  any
 area  to  cause  substantial  damage to property or overbrowsing of deer
 range, the department may fix by regulation  special  open  seasons  for
 taking wild deer of either sex. Subject to this subdivision, the depart-
 ment may fix the conditions of such seasons.
   10.  Notwithstanding  any  inconsistent provision of subdivision 10 of
 section 11-0901 or subdivision 2, subdivision  3  or  subdivision  8  of
 section 11-0907 of this title, until December thirty-first, two thousand
 [twenty-four]  TWENTY-SEVEN, the department is authorized to adopt regu-
 lations with respect to the manner of taking, possession,  open  seasons
 and  bag  limits for deer. The authority to adopt such regulations is in
 addition to any authority contained in this section or  section  11-0913
 of  this  title  respecting regulations fixing open seasons for deer and
 the issuance of deer management permits.
   § 3. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 11-0913 of  the  environ-
 mental  conservation law, as amended by chapter 207 of the laws of 2021,
 is amended to read as follows:
   a. Until December thirty-first, two thousand [twenty-four] TWENTY-SEV-
 EN, whenever in its opinion the population of deer in any  area  of  the
 state  except  in  the  northern zone is such that additional harvest of
 deer is reasonably necessary to properly manage the  deer  herd  in  the
 state  in balance with the available deer range and natural food supply,
 the department may provide by regulation for issuance of deer management
 permits, permitting the taking of one deer for the permit,  in  addition
 to  the limit of one deer that may otherwise be taken by one person in a
 license year.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.