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S05098 Summary:

S05098 Actions:

S05098 Committee Votes:

S05098 Floor Votes:

S05098 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5098
 
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                      April 9, 2019
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- 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
          designating  certain species as vulnerable species and prohibiting the
          sale of articles made from such vulnerable species; and to require the
          department of environmental conservation to designate the giraffe as a
          vulnerable species
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
     2  new section 11-0535-b to read as follows:
     3  § 11-0535-b. Vulnerable species.
     4    1. As used in  this  section,  "vulnerable  species"  shall  mean  any
     5  species  of  wildlife  designated by the department, by regulation filed
     6  with the secretary of state, which meet the following criteria:
     7    (a) On the basis of credible scientific evidence,  which  may  include
     8  information  contained  on  the  international union for conservation of
     9  nature and natural resources red list of threatened  species,  or  other
    10  similar data:
    11    (i)  the  species  has  an observed, estimated, inferred, projected or
    12  suspected population size reduction of thirty percent or more  over  the
    13  last ten years or three generations, whichever is longer; or
    14    (ii)  the  geographic range of the species is less than eight thousand
    15  square miles and the area of occupancy is less than eight hundred square
    16  miles, and the species' habitat is severely fragmented or the species is
    17  found in fewer than ten locations; or
    18    (iii) there are less than ten thousand mature individuals and the risk
    19  of extinction of the species within one hundred years is more  than  ten
    20  percent; or
    21    (iv)  other  factors  that may cause the species to go extinct if they
    22  are not identified and reversed;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10508-01-9
        S. 5098                             2
 
     1    (b) The species is known to be in trade in this state;
     2    (c)  The  species  is  not  protected  as  an endangered or threatened
     3  species by the secretary of the interior; and
     4    (d) The species is not protected under the  Marine  Mammal  Protection
     5  Act.
     6    2.  Except as otherwise provided in subdivision three of this section,
     7  no person shall sell, or possess with the intent to  sell,  any  article
     8  made  in  whole  or  in  part from the skin, hide, or other parts of any
     9  vulnerable species, except under license or permit from the department.
    10    3. The commissioner may issue licenses or  permits  for  the  sale  or
    11  possession  with  intent to sell of any article made in whole or in part
    12  from the skin, hide, or other parts of any vulnerable species,  provided
    13  that:
    14    (a)  the article is part of a bona fide antique and the antique status
    15  of such antique is established by  the  owner  or  seller  thereof  with
    16  historical  documentation  evidencing provenance and showing the antique
    17  to be not less than one hundred years old; or
    18    (b) the article is for bona fide educational or  scientific  purposes,
    19  or  to  be  made part of a temporary or permanent collection of a museum
    20  chartered by the board of regents pursuant to the education law or to  a
    21  museum  authorized  by  a  special  charter from the legislature of this
    22  state, provided that the article is not thereafter sold to  any  private
    23  party.
    24    4.  The department shall maintain a list of vulnerable species identi-
    25  fied pursuant to this section and post such  list  on  the  department's
    26  website.
    27    5.  Species  shall  not  be designated as a vulnerable species for the
    28  purposes of this section if:
    29    (a) the species is protected pursuant to any other provision  of  this
    30  chapter; or
    31    (b)  the taking of the species is regulated by the department pursuant
    32  to permit or license.
    33    § 2. Section 71-0925 of the environmental conservation law is  amended
    34  by adding a new subdivision 17 to read as follows:
    35    17.  If  the  violation  was an act prohibited by section 11-0535-b of
    36  this chapter, not more than one thousand dollars or not  more  than  two
    37  times  the  value  of the article involved, whichever is greater. If the
    38  violation is a second or subsequent violation of such section 11-0535-b,
    39  not more than two thousand dollars or not  more  than  three  times  the
    40  value of the article involved, whichever is greater.
    41    § 3. Within 180 days of the effective date of this act, the department
    42  of  environmental  conservation  shall promulgate regulations that, at a
    43  minimum, designate giraffes (Giraffa  Camelopardalis)  as  a  vulnerable
    44  species  pursuant to section 11-0535-b of the environmental conservation
    45  law.
    46    § 4. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part
    47  of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction  to
    48  be  invalid  and  after  exhaustion  of all further judicial review, the
    49  judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the  remainder  thereof,
    50  but  shall  be  confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, para-
    51  graph, section or part of this act directly involved in the  controversy
    52  in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
    53    §  5.  No  later than January 1, 2021, the department of environmental
    54  conservation shall prepare a report outlining enforcement activities and
    55  recommendations regarding any necessary changes.
    56    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.