New York A 11097: Relates to permitting certified handicapped individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state land for hunting purposes

Bill Text

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A11097 Summary:

BILL NOA11097 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORGray

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §2403, V & T L; add §11-0936, En Con L

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Permits certified handicapped individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state land for certain hunting purposes; directs the department of environmental conservation to establish a senior game recovery permit program to allow use of all-terrain vehicles on state lands by senior hunters for the purpose of retrieving big game.

Go to top A11097 Actions:

BILL NOA11097 

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04/24/2026referred to transportation

Go to topA11097 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA11097 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA11097 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 11097

 IN ASSEMBLY

 April 24, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Transportation

 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the environmental
 conservation law, in relation to permitting certified handicapped
 individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state
 land for hunting purposes

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

 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 2403 of the vehicle and traffic
 2 law, as added by chapter 402 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as
 3 follows:
 4 2. Public lands other than highways. No person, except (a) persons
 5 that are certified handicapped individuals, or (b) persons who have
 6 attained the age of seventy and hold a valid senior game recovery permit
 7 issued by the department of environmental conservation, shall operate an
 8 ATV on any public lands, waters and property other than a highway,
 9 except that an ATV may be operated on any such lands which have been
 10 designated and posted for travel by ATVs in accordance with the
 11 provisions of section twenty-four hundred five of this article. Persons
 12 certified as handicapped individuals may utilize an ATV to enter and
 13 exit public lands for the purpose of hunting, whereby such individual
 14 may be the operator or a passenger of such vehicle. Persons who have
 15 attained the age of seventy and hold a senior game recovery permit may
 16 operate an ATV on public lands during an open big game hunting season,
 17 for the sole purpose of retrieving a lawfully taken big game animal,
 18 whereby such senior permittee may be the operator or a passenger of the
 19 ATV for such retrieval purpose.
 20 § 2. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new
 21 section 11-0936 to read as follows:
 22 § 11-0936. Senior game recovery permit for all-terrain vehicle use.
 23 1. The department is authorized and directed to establish a senior
 24 game recovery permit program, allowing limited all-terrain vehicle use
 25 on state-owned lands for the purpose of retrieving big game by senior
 26 hunters. A person who has attained the age of seventy years may apply to

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14284-01-5

 A. 11097 2

 1 the department for a senior game recovery permit. The applicant shall be
 2 a New York state resident and shall meet any additional criteria set by
 3 the department pursuant to subdivision three of this section.
 4 2. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, the rules and regu-
 5 lations of the department, or any other law to the contrary, a holder of
 6 a valid senior game recovery permit may operate or have operated an
 7 all-terrain vehicle for the sole purpose of retrieving lawfully taken
 8 big game animals, as defined in section 11-0103 of this article, from
 9 lands under the jurisdiction of the department, subject to the following
 10 provisions:
 11 a. Such operation of an all-terrain vehicle shall only be permitted
 12 during an open big game hunting season and only in an area where the
 13 permittee is lawfully engaged in big game hunting;
 14 b. The permittee shall carry the permit on their person at all times
 15 during any all-terrain vehicle operation authorized by this section and
 16 shall produce it upon request by an enforcement officer;
 17 c.