What's happening
This bill creates the Habitat Conservation and Wildlife Management Fund and directs certain license plate fees to support habitat and wildlife management.
Why it matters
Creates a dedicated funding stream for habitat and wildlife management. by ensuring that fees from special license plates go directly into a new, protected fund rather than the general budget, making it harder for these resources to be diverted to unrelated purposes.
Enhances transparency and accountability. by requiring that all money in the new Habitat Conservation and Wildlife Management Fund is kept separate from other state funds and can only be used for habitat conservation or wildlife management activities, specifically on state game refuges.
Potentially increases resources for environmental conservation. by funneling not only the license plate surcharges but also any other funds transferred by law into this dedicated account, which could lead to more robust funding for conservation projects over time.
Empowers the Department of Environmental Conservation. to directly access and use these funds for services, costs, and expenses related to wildlife management and habitat conservation, potentially leading to more responsive and effective stewardship of public lands.
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
Fund Wildlife with Plate Fees
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7091
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. JORDAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring that a certain license plate surcharge be deposited into the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 404-s of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 304 of the laws of 2001, is redesignated section 404-ff and subdivision 5, as amended by section 26 of part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
5. Any New York resident who possesses a hunting, fishing or trapping license issued pursuant to title seven of article eleven of the environmental conservation law or an annual vehicle access pass, also known as an empire passport, pursuant to article thirteen of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law shall, upon request, be issued the distinctive plate available to a person who purchases a lifetime license or passport, which shall be issued in the same manner as other number plates upon the payment of the regular registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this article; provided, however, that an additional annual service charge of fifteen dollars shall be charged for such plate. Such service charge shall be deposited [and made available in the same manner as set forth in subdivision two of this section] into the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund established under section ninety-seven-aaaa of the state finance law and shall be made available for services, costs and expenses of habitat conservation and wildlife management as provided for in such section.
§ 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-aaaa to read as follows:
§ 97-aaaa. Habitat conservation and wildlife management fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the commissioner of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14412-01-9
S. 7091 2
environmental conservation and the state comptroller a special fund to be known as the "habitat conservation and wildlife management fund". The moneys in such fund shall be available for payment of any and all services, costs and expenditures incurred by the department of environmental conservation in performing habitat conservation or wildlife management duties on property designated as a state game refuge pursuant to section 11-2105 of the environmental conservation law, including costs and expenses incidental and appurtenant thereto.
2. Moneys in the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund shall be kept separately from and shall not be commingled with any other moneys in the joint or sole custody of the state comptroller or the commissioner of environmental conservation.
3. The habitat conservation and wildlife management fund shall consist of the revenues required to be deposited therein pursuant to the provisions of section four hundred four-ff of the vehicle and traffic law, and all other moneys credited or transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law.
4. The moneys in such fund shall paid out of the fund on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers approved by the commissioner of environmental conservation.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring that a certain license plate surcharge be deposited into the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the habitat conservation and wildlife management fund
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends section 404-s of the vehicle and traffic law to direct that the fifteen dollar surcharge for the existing distinctive hunting, fishing or trapping license plate be deposited into the habitat conser- vation and wildlife management fund established under section ninety- seven-aaaa of the state finance law to be made available for services, costs and expenses of habitat conservation and wildlife management.
Section 2: Amends state finance law to add a new section 97-aaaa to establish a habitat and wildlife management fund consisting of the revenues pursuant to the provisions in section 1.
Section 3: Effective date
Justification
Any resident who possesses a hunting, fishing or trapping license is able to request a distinctive "I Love New York Hunting and Fishing" custom license plate for an annual fifteen-dollar service charge. Currently, this fee goes to the New York State Department of Economic Development to be made available for services and expenses for tourism and marketing. This bill would establish a conservation and wildlife management fund and would direct that the revenues from this custom plate be directly deposited into that account to help preserve and protect New York's precious natural resources.
Legislative history
New bill.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred and eightieth 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.