NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7402
SPONSOR: Sempolinski TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
providing free lifetime licenses for honorably discharged, disabled
veterans
PURPOSE:
This bill provides for lifetime sportsman licenses for honorably
discharged disabled veterans without an annual renewal.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends Subdivision 1 of section 11-0702 of the Environmental
Conservation Law to allow honorably discharged veterans who have a
permanent disability to have a lifetime sportsman license without a fee
and annual renewal.
Section 2: Provides an immediate effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Current law allows disabled veterans to purchase an annual sportsman
license for a five-dollar fee. This act would eliminate the need for
annual renewal by allowing disabled veterans to acquire a lifetime
sportsman license for no fee and no annual renewal. Given the personal
sacrifices our disabled veterans have made, allowing them to enjoy hunt-
ing, fishing and outdoor activities in New York for life without the
requirement to annually renew and without cost, is a small gesture for
their service to our nation.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S.3205 referred to Environmental Conservation
2021-2022: S.1265 referred to Environmental Conservation/A.4893 held for
consideration in Environmental Conservation
2019-2020: S.268 referred to Environmental Conservation/A.880-A referred
to Environmental Conservation
2017-2018: S.2579-A referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military
Affairs
2015-2016: S.2215 reported from Veterans, Homeland Security and Military
Affairs and committed to Finance/A.4382 referred to Environmental
Conservation
2014: S.7469 referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military
Affairs/A.9439 referred to Environmental Conservation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This Act will take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7402
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 25, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SEMPOLINSKI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
providing free lifetime licenses for honorably discharged, disabled
veterans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 11-0702 of the environmental
2 conservation law, as amended by section 16 of part R of chapter 58 of
3 the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
4 1. There are hereby created the following lifetime hunting, fishing,
5 trapping, archery and muzzle-loading privileges and fees therefor
6 subject to the same privileges and obligations of a comparable short
7 term license:
8 Licenses Fees
9 a. Lifetime license including a
10 hunting license, fishing license
11 and turkey permit. If purchased,
12 for a child four years
13 of age or younger $380.00
14 for a child age five through
15 eleven years of age $535.00
16 for a person age twelve through
17 sixty-nine years of age $765.00
18 for a person age seventy
19 and over[.] $65.00
20 for a person who has been
21 honorably discharged from
22 service in the armed forces of the
23 United States and is certified
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07334-01-5
A. 7402 2
1 as having a forty percent or
2 greater service-connected disability.$0.00
3 b. Lifetime hunting license. $535.00
4 c. Lifetime fishing
5 license for a person age
6 sixty-nine or younger. $460.00
7 d. Lifetime fishing license
8 for a person age seventy
9 and over. $ 65.00
10 e. Lifetime trapping
11 license. $395.00
12 f. Lifetime archery privilege. $235.00
13 g. Lifetime muzzle-loading privilege. $235.00
14 h. For transfer to a person pursuant
15 to section 11-0704 of this title.
16 $50.00
17 The holder of a lifetime hunting license or lifetime fishing license
18 may, at any time, convert such license to a lifetime license pursuant to
19 paragraph a of this subdivision for an additional fee equal to the
20 difference between the current fee for the new license and the fee
21 originally paid for the license.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
