Bill Text: NY S04708 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Grants free access to state parks for firefighters upon showing a sufficient method of identification, as designated by the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation or other state agency having jurisdiction.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-01-07 - REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION [S04708 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S04708-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4708

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 11, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism,
          Parks and Recreation

        AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law,  in
          relation to granting free access to state parks for firefighters

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The parks, recreation  and  historic  preservation  law  is
     2  amended by adding a new section 13.12 to read as follows:
     3    §  13.12  Firefighter  access  to  state parks. 1. Notwithstanding any
     4  other provision of law, the office or other state agency  having  juris-
     5  diction  of  a state park shall allow free access to such state park for
     6  all firefighters. Provision of any method of  identification  designated
     7  by  the  office  or  other  state agency having jurisdiction pursuant to
     8  subdivision three of this section shall be sufficient to grant the hold-
     9  er of such method of identification free access to such state park.
    10    2. The provisions of subdivision one of this section shall  not  apply
    11  to  the  owner  or  operator  of  an  omnibus  operated for a commercial
    12  purpose.
    13    3. The office or other state agency having jurisdiction shall  promul-
    14  gate  rules  and regulations designating adequate methods of identifica-
    15  tion that may be provided by firefighters for free access to state parks
    16  in accordance with subdivision one of this section, and any other  rules
    17  and  regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this
    18  section.
    19    4. For the purposes of this section,  the  term  "firefighters"  shall
    20  mean  volunteer  firefighters, as defined by section three of the volun-
    21  teer firefighters' benefit law, and paid firefighters.
    22    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09122-02-5