NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2162

Senate Bill S2162

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts the "pollinator promotion act" to promote the health and viability of pollinators in the state

download bill text pdf

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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 15, 2025	referred to environmental conservation

2025-S2162 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Environmental Conservation
Law Section:: Environmental Conservation Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§3-0301 & 54-1523, En Con L; add §§235-c & 409-o, Ed L; amd §19-a, Hway L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7582

2025-S2162 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the "pollinator promotion act" to authorize the commissioner of environmental conservation to promote the health and viability of pollinators in the state and to provide state assistance payments to municipalities to adopt and implement pollinator promotion plans; requires certain pollinator health initiatives on SUNY campuses; directs the departments of education and environmental conservation to develop guidelines for school districts to implement certain pollinator friendly practices; directs the implementation of certain pollinator friendly practices on highway verges.

2025-S2162 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2162

SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, the education law
and the highway law, in relation to enacting the "pollinator promotion
act"

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The Pollinator Promotion Act is a comprehensive bill actions New York
State can take to address pollinator health in a variety of domains to
enhance pollinator health through changing approaches to landscaping and
grounds maintenance, reducing the use of pesticides, and encouraging
agencies and all levels of government to actively engage in pollinator-
friendly practices.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Names the bill as the Pollinator Promotion Act.

Section 2: Adds the promotion of pollinator health and viability to the
authorities of the Department of Environmental Conservation, including
ensuring pollinator-friendly landscaping and maintenance practices where
practicable on any actively maintained state lands.

Section 3: adds pollinator promotion plans as an option under the
Climate Smart Communities program.

Section 4: adds the promotion of pollinator health and expansion of
supportive habitats on SUNY campuses by encouraging campuses to incorpo-
rate a variety of established practices for universities to their ongo-
ing groundskeeping and maintenance efforts.

Section 5: authorizes the Department of Education to develop optional
guidelines for school districts to include pollinator friendly landscap-
ing and groundskeeping practices on school grounds.

Section 6: adds verges to the pollinator friendly practices for main-
taining state highways.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The word 'pollinators' often conjures the image of a single bee, the
European honey bee, drifting from flower to flower. The universe of
pollinating species is far broader than that. The United States is home
to more than 3,600 native bee species. More broadly, thousands of
species, including bees, birds, butterflies, and bats, help pollinate
all kinds of plans. Native pollinators are especially important because
they support native plants. These pollinators are collectively an essen-
tial foundation of every ecosystem, making plant reproduction possible
and supporting the entire food chain, including the many crops and
animals human society depends upon. Research shows significant declines
in pollinator population sizes and ranges, especially among native
pollinators.

This legislation will help the state begin to address these declines in
pollinator populations, especially native New York pollinators, by
encouraging a variety of actions in state government to establish polli-
nator-friendly habitats and introduce pollinator-friendly practices
across all levels of state government. This framework encourages agen-
cies and local governments to examine their practices to help conserve
pollinators by providing them with health habitats that are rich in a
variety of native plants, provide nesting sites, and are protected from
pesticides. The state can take significant steps to conserve our native
pollinators, often by simply altering existing practices and procedures
without incurring any new expenses.  For example, pollinators can be
supporting simply by incorporating a preference for native plants in
landscaping or reducing the use of pesticides on state lands where
appropriate. Native plants are generally no more expensive at most
greenhouses and reducing the use of pesticides can even save money.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024 - S.7582-A (May) / A.8204-A (Kelles)

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days after becoming law.

2025-S2162 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2162
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  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,  the  education  law
   and the highway law, in relation to enacting the "pollinator promotion
   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 "pollinator promotion act".
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 3-0301 of the environmental conservation
 law  is  amended  by  adding  two  new  paragraphs jj and jjj to read as
 follows:
   JJ. PROMOTE THE HEALTH AND VIABILITY OF POLLINATORS IN  THE  STATE  BY
 SUPPORTING HABITAT PROTECTION, PROMOTING THE STATE'S NATIVE POLLINATORS,
 AND INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS.
   JJJ.  ENSURE  THAT  ON  ANY LANDS OWNED AND ACTIVELY MAINTAINED BY THE
 STATE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO STATE PARKS, TIDAL  WETLANDS  AREAS,
 STATE  FORESTS,  HISTORIC  PARK PRESERVES, UNIQUE AREAS, WATERWAY ACCESS
 SITES, HISTORIC PARKS, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT  AREAS,  GOLF  COURSES,  BOAT
 LAUNCH  SITES,  CAMPGROUNDS, PRIMITIVE AREAS, WILD FORESTS, THE AGENCIES
 IN CHARGE OF  SUCH  MAINTENANCE  SHALL  INCORPORATE  POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY
 LANDSCAPING  PRACTICES  APPROPRIATE  TO  SUCH  LANDS,  INCLUDING BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO CREATING OR REESTABLISHING POLLINATOR  FRIENDLY  HABITATS  BY
 INCREASING  THE  ABUNDANCE OF NATIVE PLANTS ON SUCH LANDS, ADJUSTING AND
 REDUCING MOWING PRACTICES AND THE USE OF PESTICIDES  IN  FAVOR  OF  NON-
 CHEMICAL  PEST  MANAGEMENT  METHODS,  AND ADDING SIGNAGE TO PUBLIC LANDS
 EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE USE OF  SUCH  POLLINATOR  FRIENDLY  PRAC-
 TICES;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT  THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY TO ANY
 LANDS WHERE SUCH PRACTICES ARE DEEMED IMPRACTICAL BY THE  DEPARTMENT  OR
 OTHER  APPROPRIATE  AGENCY,  THAT HAVE A DEDICATED USE INCOMPATIBLE WITH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00104-02-5
 S. 2162                             2

 
 THIS PARAGRAPH, OR THAT ARE OTHERWISE PROTECTED FROM ACTIVE  MAINTENANCE
 BY LEGAL AGREEMENT OR THE STATE CONSTITUTION;
   §  3.  Paragraphs  h  and i of subdivision 1 of section 54-1523 of the
 environmental conservation law, as amended by section 1 of part  KKK  of
 chapter  58  of  the  laws of 2022, are amended and a new paragraph j is
 added to read as follows:
   h. to  establish  and  implement  easily-replicated  renewable  energy
 projects, including solar arrays, heat pumps and wind turbines in public
 low-income housing in suburban, urban and rural areas; [and]
   i. land acquisition, including but not limited to flood mitigation and
 coastal  riparian  resiliency;  provided,  however,  no  monies shall be
 expended for acquisition by eminent domain[.]; AND
   J. CLIMATE-RESILIENT LANDSCAPING AND LAND MAINTENANCE AND LAND MAINTE-
 NANCE SUCH AS CONNECTING GREEN SPACES, USE OF NATIVE SPECIES, AND POLLI-
 NATOR-FRIENDLY PLANTING.
   § 4. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  235-c  to
 read as follows:
   § 235-C. PROMOTION OF POLLINATOR HEALTH.  EACH STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW
 YORK  CAMPUS  SHALL  CONSIDER  POLICIES TO PROMOTE POLLINATOR HEALTH AND
 EXPAND SUPPORTIVE HABITATS.  POSSIBLE CONSIDERATIONS INCLUDE  GUIDELINES
 FOR:
   1.  ESTABLISHING A STANDING COMMITTEE OF STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF,
 INCLUDING A MEMBER OF THE GROUNDS OR LANDSCAPING DEPARTMENTS, TO  EVALU-
 ATE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING POLLINATOR HABITATS ON CAMPUS;
   2.  INCREASING  THE ABUNDANCE OF NATIVE PLANTS AND SUPPORTIVE HABITATS
 ON CAMPUS;
   3. ADOPTING AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN TO PREVENT  PEST  PROB-
 LEMS,  REDUCE  PESTICIDE  USE,  AND  EXPAND THE USE OF NON-CHEMICAL PEST
 MANAGEMENT METHODS;
   4. OFFERING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AS APPROPRIATE FOR STUDENTS  AND
 COMMUNITY  MEMBERS ABOUT NATIVE POLLINATORS AND POLLINATOR CONSERVATION;
 AND
   5. OFFERING YEARLY SERVICE-LEARNING  PROJECTS  ON  CAMPUS  TO  ENHANCE
 POLLINATOR HABITATS.
   §  5.  The  education  law is amended by adding a new section 409-o to
 read as follows:
   § 409-O. POLLINATOR FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING. THE DEPARTMENT, IN CONSULTA-
 TION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL  CONSERVATION,  SHALL  DEVELOP
 GUIDELINES  FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR POLLINATOR FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING AND
 GROUNDSKEEPING PRACTICES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT  LIMITED  TO,  THE  USE  OF
 NATIVE PLANTS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS, INCORPORATING POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PRAC-
 TICES  INTO SCHOOL GARDENS, AND REDUCING THE USE OF PESTICIDES ON SCHOOL
 GROUNDS.
   § 6. Section 19-a of the highway law, as added by chapter 763  of  the
 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   § 19-a. Pollinator friendly plant species; medians AND VERGES. 1.  The
 commissioner  shall, in cooperation with the department of environmental
 conservation, develop policies and procedures to encourage  the  use  of
 native  plant species that are pollinator friendly in medians AND VERGES
 along highways under the jurisdiction of the department and to encourage
 and provide technical assistance to counties, cities, towns and villages
 in the use of native plant species that are pollinator friendly in medi-
 ans AND VERGES along highways under the respective jurisdiction of  such
 counties, cities, towns and villages.
   2.  The  commissioner shall develop policies and procedures for mowing
 medians AND VERGES located along highways on the state system  of  high-
 S. 2162                             3
 
 ways that will, wherever feasible and consistent with standards of safe-
 ty  for  motor  vehicle operators, cyclists, and pedestrians, reduce the
 amount of area within such highway medians AND VERGES that is mowed.
   §  7.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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