New York Assembly Bill A08661

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/23/25
• Refer: 5/23/25
• Report Pass: 5/28/25
• Refer: 5/28/25
• Report Pass: 5/29/25
• Engrossed: 5/29/25
• Refer: 5/29/25
• Engrossed: 6/11/25
• Enrolled: 8/4/25
• Chaptered: 8/7/25
• Passed: 8/7/25

Caption

Extends the authority of the department of environmental conservation to fix open season and bag limits for pheasant hunting on Long Island by individuals who hold a junior license.

Summary

A08661 extends the sunset date for a narrow provision of New York environmental conservation law governing youth pheasant hunting days on Long Island. Specifically, it amends the expiration date for the authority that allows the Department of Environmental Conservation to set open seasons and bag limits for pheasant hunting by junior license holders, pushing the repeal date from December 31, 2025 to December 31, 2028. The bill does not create a new hunting program; it simply keeps the existing junior pheasant hunting authority in place for an additional three years. In practical terms, the bill preserves DEC’s ability to manage youth pheasant hunting opportunities on Long Island under the current statutory framework. It affects the Environmental Conservation Law provisions tied to junior hunters and pheasant season regulation, and it continues the legal basis for the department to adjust season timing and harvest limits for this specific activity. The measure is time-limited and does not appear to alter broader hunting rules beyond this Long Island youth pheasant hunting provision. The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and largely noncontroversial. It advanced unanimously through the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee and the Assembly Rules Committee, then passed the Assembly with overwhelming support and the Senate with a large bipartisan majority. The vote pattern suggests broad agreement that extending the existing authority is a routine conservation and youth-hunting policy matter. There is little evidence of substantive opposition or major policy dispute in the available record. Because the bill is a straightforward extension of an existing sunset provision, any discussion likely centers on whether the junior hunting authority should continue rather than on changing the underlying policy. The lack of committee transcript material and the strong vote margins indicate minimal contention, with support likely coming from legislators and stakeholders favoring youth hunting opportunities and DEC management flexibility.

Impact

The bill amends chapter 366 of the laws of 2011, as previously amended, by extending the expiration of paragraph c-1 of section 11-0903 of the Environmental Conservation Law from December 31, 2025 to December 31, 2028. This preserves the Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority to set open seasons and bag limits for pheasant hunting by junior license holders on Long Island for three additional years, without otherwise changing the underlying hunting framework.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad, bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed committee and floor votes by wide margins in both houses, indicating that lawmakers generally viewed it as a routine extension of an existing youth hunting provision rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No major points of contention are evident in the available materials. The only likely policy question is whether to continue the DEC’s special authority for junior pheasant hunting on Long Island, but the strong committee and floor votes suggest that any disagreement was minimal. Support appears to come from members favoring youth hunting opportunities and continued DEC flexibility in wildlife management.