S 1517: Permits instruction in hunting, fishing and outdoor education in high school physical education courses.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1517 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. O'MARA, WALCZYK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law and the education law, in relation to hunting, fishing and outdoor education in high school physical education courses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 3-0301 of the environmental 2 conservation law is amended by adding a new paragraph aa to read as 3 follows: 4 aa. Disseminate information relating to hunting, fishing and outdoor 5 education, in consultation with the commissioner of education, to 6 promote instruction in physical education courses for grades nine 7 through twelve in hunting, fishing and outdoor education. Such instruc- 8 tion shall include information on the: 9 (1) various hunting and fishing seasons; 10 (2) species that can be sought; 11 (3) necessary materials for obtaining hunting and fishing licenses; 12 (4) outdoor opportunities for recreation and exercise purposes; and 13 (5) history and benefits of hunting and fishing in this state's devel- 14 opment. 15 § 2. Section 809-a of the education law, as amended by chapter 442 of 16 the laws of 1977, is amended to read as follows: 17 § 809-a. Instruction in the safe use of firearms and in the game laws; 18 hunting, fishing and outdoor education. 1. The officer, board, or 19 commission authorized or required to prescribe courses of instructions 20 in any school under state control, may authorize instructions to be 21 given in the safe and proper use of firearms allowed by law to be used 22 in the taking of wild game, and may also authorize instructions to be 23 given in the study of game laws and of proper hunting and conservation EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04532-01-5 
 S. 1517 2 1 practices. Such courses of instruction shall be approved by both the 2 [education] department and the department of environmental conservation. 3 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a public secondary 4 school shall, upon the request of ten or more students enrolled in such 5 school, provide, as a component of such school's physical education 6 course, instruction in hunting, fishing and outdoor education, which 7 shall be consistent with the courses required by the department of envi- 8 ronmental conservation for license applicants. The commissioner, in 9 consultation with the commissioner of the department of environmental 10 conservation, shall establish a curriculum for the hunting, fishing and 11 outdoor education course, which shall include, but not be limited to, 12 instruction on: 13 (a) various hunting and fishing seasons; 14 (b) species that can be sought; 15 (c) the necessary materials for obtaining hunting and fishing 16 licenses; 17 (d) outdoor opportunities for recreation and exercise purposes; and 18 (e) history and benefits of hunting and fishing in this state's devel- 19 opment. 20 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 21 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the 22 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary 23 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized 24 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.