Senate BillIntroduced
S 4708: Grants free access to state parks for firefighters upon showing a sufficient method of identification, as designated by the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation or other state agency having jurisdiction.
What S 4708 does, verified March 25, 2026
The bill aims to grant free access to state parks for firefighters. The law will allow state parks to provide free access to firefighters, regardless of the method of identification. Volunteer and paid firefighters will be included in this provision. The state agency having jurisdiction will need to establish rules and regulations for identification methods. These rules will ensure that firefighters can access state parks without any issues. The law will take effect immediately, making it accessible to firefighters right away.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 4708
- What is the current status of S 4708?
- As of March 25, 2026, S 4708 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION".
- Did S 4708 pass?
- Not yet. S 4708 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 4708, and where is it now?
- S 4708 was authored by Sen. Thomas O'Mara with 1 coauthor. Its committee of record is Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks & Recreation.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION |
| Feb. 11, 2025 | REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 11, 2025 · 350 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4708 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 11, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in relation to granting free access to state parks for firefighters The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The parks, recreation and historic preservation law is 2 amended by adding a new section 13.12 to read as follows: 3 § 13.12 Firefighter access to state parks. 1. Notwithstanding any 4 other provision of law, the office or other state agency having juris- 5 diction of a state park shall allow free access to such state park for 6 all firefighters. Provision of any method of identification designated 7 by the office or other state agency having jurisdiction pursuant to 8 subdivision three of this section shall be sufficient to grant the hold- 9 er of such method of identification free access to such state park. 10 2. The provisions of subdivision one of this section shall not apply 11 to the owner or operator of an omnibus operated for a commercial 12 purpose. 13 3. The office or other state agency having jurisdiction shall promul- 14 gate rules and regulations designating adequate methods of identifica- 15 tion that may be provided by firefighters for free access to state parks 16 in accordance with subdivision one of this section, and any other rules 17 and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 18 section. 19 4. For the purposes of this section, the term "firefighters" shall 20 mean volunteer firefighters, as defined by section three of the volun- 21 teer firefighters' benefit law, and paid firefighters. 22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09122-02-5
Text of S 4708 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions