New York Senate Bill S02193

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/25
• Refer: 1/15/25
• 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 definition of “immediate family” for a specific commercial fishing licensing provision. Under current law, certain license or permit transfers are limited to immediate family members, and the bill expands that category by removing the requirement that the family member be domiciled in the same household as the license or permit holder. The definition would still include spouse, sibling, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, and other persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption to the license or permit holder. The bill applies only to licenses or permits reissued on or after its effective date, which is immediate. In practical terms, it would make it easier for commercial fishing license or permit holders to transfer or reissue licenses within their extended family without needing to prove shared residence. The change is narrow and targeted to a specific licensing context rather than a broad overhaul of fisheries law.

Impact

The bill would amend section 13-0328 of the Environmental Conservation Law by deleting the household-domicile requirement from the statutory definition of “immediate family” for commercial fishing license or permit transfers. This would broaden eligibility for family-based transfers and reissuances, potentially affecting license holders, family members involved in fishing operations, and the agency administering commercial fishing permits. The bill is prospective only and applies to licenses or permits reissued on or after the effective date.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be a technical, practical adjustment with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. The overall tone suggests a straightforward effort to ease family succession or transfer rules for commercial fishing licenses. Because there are no transcripts or vote records here, there is no evidence of formal opposition or support beyond the bill’s introduction and amendment process.

Contention

The main policy issue is whether family members must live in the same household to qualify for a commercial fishing license transfer. Supporters would likely view the change as reducing an unnecessary residency barrier and better reflecting modern family arrangements, while any critics might argue that removing the domicile requirement could broaden transfers beyond the original intent of the law. No specific objections or named opposing groups appear in the provided record.