What's happening
This bill requires the Department of Environmental Conservation to consult with local governments before closing municipal property to horseshoe crab harvesting.
Why it matters
Ensures Local Input. By requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to consult with local governments when municipal properties are considered for horseshoe crab harvest closures, this bill gives towns, villages, and counties a formal voice in state environmental decisions that directly affect their communities.
Potential for More Responsive Management. Local governments may have unique knowledge about their shorelines, wildlife, and economic impacts, so this consultation could lead to more nuanced and effective management of horseshoe crab populations and associated habitats.
Shifts State-Local Dynamics. The change from “cooperate” to “consult” signals a shift—consultation requires the DEC to seek and consider local opinions, though it does not grant a veto, potentially increasing transparency and accountability in regulatory actions affecting municipal land.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Towns Close Crab Harvests
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.21
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading cal.613
- Substituted for A8918
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.25
- Referred to rules
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Consult Towns on Crab Harvests
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Steven Englebright
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7297
IN SENATE
January 5, 2018
Introduced by Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the taking of crabs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 8 of section 13-0331 of the environmental conservation law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2017, amending the environmental conservation law relating to the taking of crabs, as proposed in legislative bills numbers A. 8184-A and S. 6682, is amended to read as follows:
8. The department shall, when adopting regulation measures for the management of horseshoe crabs (Limulus sp.) pursuant to subdivision seven of this section, [cooperate] consult with any town, village or county that requests any municipal property be subject to a harvest closure.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2017, amending the environmental conservation law relating to the the taking of crabs, as proposed in legislative bills numbers A. 8184-A and S. 6682, takes effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11984-05-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the taking of crabs
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to enhance and extend the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) crab management practices.
Summary of provisions
This bill would extend, for one year, the authority of DEC to manage crabs by regulation; and, require DEC to consult with a municipality upon requests that municipal property be subject to a harvest closure.
Existing law
Current authority expires December 31, 2017.
Justification
Crabs have played an important role in New York's fishing history. For example, the horseshoe crab has sometimes been called a living fossil, having remained relatively unchanged in appearance for 350 million years. Horseshoe crabs are an important part of the ecosystem, serving as a food source for migratory shorebirds, including red knots function- ing as bait for the taking of whelk and American eel and providing an important contribution to medicine with a clotting agent in their blood called Limulus Amoeboyte Lysate (LL) for which there is currently no synthetic substitute. This legislation is a chapter amendment to S.6682, which passed both houses of the legislature during the 2017 legislative session. It would extend DEC's authority to manage crabs, including horseshoe crabs, for an additional year and, rather than require the department to provide for cooperation with municipalities in public beach harvest closures in its rules and regulations, would require the department to consult with municipalities in public beach harvest closures in its rules and regulations.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Local fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediate.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.