New York Assembly Bill A06057

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/26/25
• Refer: 2/26/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Removes the provision that an immediate family member needs to be domiciled in the house of the license or permit holder for the purpose of commercial fishing license transfers.

Summary

This bill amends the Environmental Conservation Law provision governing commercial fishing license and permit transfers by changing the definition of “immediate family.” Under current law, certain family members can qualify for transfer purposes only if they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption and also domiciled in the license or permit holder’s household. The bill removes the household-domicile requirement, so qualifying immediate family members would include spouse, sibling, parent, child, grandparent, and grandchild, as well as other relatives by blood, marriage, or adoption, without needing to live in the same home as the license or permit holder. The bill takes effect immediately and applies only to licenses or permits reissued on or after that date. In practical terms, it broadens eligibility for commercial fishing license or permit transfers among family members and makes it easier for family-owned fishing operations to pass licenses or permits to relatives who may not reside with the holder.

Impact

The bill amends section 13-0328 of the Environmental Conservation Law, specifically the definition of “immediate family” used for commercial fishing license and permit transfer rules. By deleting the domicile requirement, it expands the pool of family members who may qualify for transfer-related treatment under the statute and affects the administration of commercial fishing licenses and permits by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The change is limited to licenses or permits reissued on or after the effective date.

Sentiment

There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal debate or roll-call sentiment is available. Based on the bill’s purpose and caption, the measure appears to be a targeted, practical adjustment intended to ease family transfers of commercial fishing licenses, suggesting generally favorable treatment rather than controversy.

Contention

The main policy issue is whether immediate family members should have to live in the same household as the license or permit holder to qualify for transfer purposes. Supporters would likely view the change as a modernization that better reflects family-run fishing businesses and changing household arrangements, while any opposition would likely focus on preserving tighter transfer restrictions and limiting the circumstances under which commercial fishing privileges can be passed to relatives. No specific opposing arguments are documented in the provided record.