What's happening
This bill requires the development of guidelines for integrated pest management to prevent tick-borne infections on residential properties.
Why it matters
Provides Homeowners with Actionable Guidance. By requiring the creation and annual update of best practice guidelines for treating residential properties, this bill aims to arm homeowners and property managers with up-to-date, science-based strategies to reduce tick populations and the risk of tick-borne diseases.
Promotes Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The bill emphasizes integrated pest management, which encourages a combination of landscape modifications, rodent control methods, and targeted pesticide use—potentially reducing overreliance on chemicals and minimizing environmental impact.
Improves Public Health Transparency. Making these guidelines available on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website ensures that the public, pest management professionals, and local governments can easily access and implement the latest recommendations, which could lead to broader adoption and more effective prevention of tick-borne infections.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Set Pest Control Guidelines
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1248
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sens. SERINO, AMEDORE, CARLUCCI, JACOBS, KENNEDY, LAVALLE, LITTLE, O'MARA, RITCHIE, SEWARD, TEDISCO -- 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 guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties for integrated pest management
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 33-0303 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. The commissioner shall develop guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties for integrated pest management to assist in the prevention of ticks that contribute to tick-borne infections. Such guidelines shall include but not be limited to the use of landscape techniques, methods to discourage rodent activity and effective pesticide applications. The guidelines shall be available on the department's website and shall be reviewed and revised annually with current best practices.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00467-02-9
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 guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties for integrated pest management
Purpose
This bill directs the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to develop guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties for integrated pest management to assist in the prevention of ticks that contribute to Lyme disease and tick-borne infections.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends Section 33-0303 of the Environmental Conservation Law to direct the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to develop guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties to reduce exposure to ticks. The guidelines shall be updated annually with current best practices and available on the Department's website.
Section 2: Establishes the bill will be effective 90 days after it shall have become a law.
Justification
According to the most recent reporting by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), New York State has the third highest number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the entire country and according to the NYS Department of Health (DOH), while it started as an issue dominating Long Island and the Hudson Valley, it has quickly migrated to counties across New York. DOH also notes that since it became reportable in 1986, over 95,000 cases of Lyme have been reported to the Department.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected deer tick and is the most common disease carried by ticks. Because Lyme and tick-borne diseases are considered a threat to public health and well-being, the state has begun investigating ways to stop their spread at the source.
Unable to fly and having an affinity for shady, moist areas close to the ground, ticks often populate bushes, shrubs, gardens and lawns. There- fore, in order to stop the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, inte- grated pest management has the potential to help significantly reduce the population of infected ticks.
Homeowners need a reliable source of information to turn to when looking for answers on how to best protect their property from ticks. They should be aware of the registered EPA approved pesticides that are recommended for tick prevention and the methods they can incorporate to better protect both people and pets from exposure to ticks on their property.
In order to raise awareness for appropriate and effective methods and to facilitate the delivery of valuable information, this bill directs the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation to develop guidelines for best practices in treating residential properties for integrated pest management-the goal ultimately being to rid communities of ticks that contribute to tick-borne infections.
Legislative history
2017-18: S.2588 Passed Senate 2016: S.5802-A Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
On the ninetieth day after it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.