Bill Text: NY S01943 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes the forest ranger force to establish a training program for volunteer search and rescue personnel to assist the forest rangers in wild, remote and forested areas of the state.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION [S01943 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S01943-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1943
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 17, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens.  LITTLE, SEWARD -- 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
          authorizing the forest ranger force to establish  a  training  program
          for volunteer wild land search and rescue personnel
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Subdivision 18  of  section  9-0105  of  the  environmental
     2  conservation  law,  as  added  by  chapter  617  of the laws of 1984, is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    18. a. Establish, operate and maintain a search and rescue program  in
     5  fire  towns  and  fire  districts of the state. For the purposes of this
     6  section fire towns shall mean such towns provided for in section  9-1107
     7  of  this  chapter  and  fire  districts  shall  be deemed to be the fire
     8  protection areas provided for in section  9-1109  of  this  chapter  and
     9  regulations  promulgated  pursuant  to  the  authority of such sections.
    10  Pursuant to such program the forest ranger force of the department shall
    11  have the authority to organize, direct and execute search operations for
    12  lost persons or civilian aircraft  and  conduct  rescue  operations  for
    13  persons  injured  or in serious danger of injury in the wild, remote and
    14  forested areas of fire towns and fire districts of the  state;  provided
    15  that, where criminal conduct is suspected or fugitive search is involved
    16  such  search or rescue operations shall be conducted under the jurisdic-
    17  tion of the appropriate law enforcement agency.  Search and rescue oper-
    18  ations outside of fire towns and fire districts may be conducted by  the
    19  forest  ranger  force  upon request of the agency conducting such opera-
    20  tion.
    21    b. Pursuant to such program, the forest ranger force of the department
    22  shall have the authority to establish, direct and maintain a program for
    23  the purpose of training and credentialing volunteer,  wild  land  search
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03143-01-9
        S. 1943                             2
     1  and  rescue personnel to assist and respond along with the forest ranger
     2  force to search for lost and missing persons in  the  wild,  remote  and
     3  forested areas of the state.
     4    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.