New York Senate Bill S07680

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/29/25
• Refer: 4/29/25
• Engrossed: 6/9/25
• Refer: 6/9/25
• Engrossed: 6/16/25
• Enrolled: 12/8/25
• Chaptered: 12/12/25
• Passed: 12/12/25

Caption

Requires the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to develop and approve operational safety plans prior to the deployment of any employee in hazardous conditions; requires the plan to include a comprehensive risk assessment identifying potential hazards associated with the deployment, mitigation measures to address identified risks, detailed information on team composition, identification of an on-site authorized person responsible for overseeing operations, a clear chain of command, emergency contact information for all team members, and evacuation procedures.

Summary

S07680 would require the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to develop and approve an operational safety plan before deploying any employee into hazardous conditions. The bill defines hazardous conditions broadly to include situations such as natural disasters, extreme weather, and other emergency scenarios, and it defines deployment as organized employee assignment that goes beyond routine job duties. The required safety plan must include a comprehensive risk assessment, mitigation measures, team roles and responsibilities, an on-site authorized person overseeing operations, a clear chain of command, emergency contact information, and evacuation procedures tailored to the specific deployment. The commissioner or designee must review and approve the plan, verify that employees are properly trained, and confirm that the deployment is essential under the hazardous conditions. The bill also requires reasonable efforts to share this information when deployments involve coordination with other entities, and it expressly states that it does not limit routine duties or responses to imminent threats to life or property.

Impact

The bill amends the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law by adding a new section 3.16, creating a formal pre-deployment safety-planning requirement for the office and its employees. It imposes new internal planning, review, and approval obligations on the agency before staff are sent into hazardous conditions, while preserving the agency's ability to act quickly in routine operations or emergencies involving imminent threats. The measure primarily affects the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, its commissioner or designee, and employees assigned to emergency or high-risk field operations.

Sentiment

The available voting record shows strong, unanimous support for the bill. It passed the Senate 61-0 and the Assembly 144-0, and it also received unanimous approval in the Senate Rules Committee. The absence of recorded opposition suggests broad agreement that the bill is a safety-focused administrative measure rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No substantive opposition is reflected in the available record, and there are no committee transcripts indicating debate. The main policy issue implicit in the bill is balancing added safety planning and oversight against operational flexibility in emergencies. The bill addresses that concern by allowing routine duties and responses to imminent threats to proceed without delay, which likely helped reduce any potential contention.