Senate BillIntroduced
S 5039: Changes the definition of the word "weed" to include certain types of plants and exclude those that are endangered or indigenous to this state.
What S 5039 does, verified January 10, 2026
The bill aims to amend the environmental conservation law to clarify the definition of the word "weed". The proposed change states that "weed" refers to any plant species designated as noxious, harmful, exotic, invasive, injurious, or poisonous, as per state or federal law. This definition excludes endangered species and plants indigenous to the state. The bill takes effect immediately.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 5039
- What is the current status of S 5039?
- As of January 10, 2026, S 5039 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 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION".
- Did S 5039 pass?
- Not yet. S 5039 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 5039, and where is it now?
- S 5039 was authored by Sen. Luis Sepúlveda. Its committee of record is Senate Environmental Conservation.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| Feb. 18, 2025 | REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 18, 2025 · 195 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5039 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 18, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- 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, in relation to changing the definition of the word "weed" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 45 of section 33-0101 of the environmental 2 conservation law, as added by chapter 685 of the laws of 1978 and as 3 renumbered by chapter 612 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as 4 follows: 5 45. "Weed" means any plant [which grows where not wanted] species 6 designated as noxious, harmful, exotic, invasive, injurious or poisonous 7 pursuant to state or federal law, and shall not include any endangered 8 species or any plants indigenous to this state. 9 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09699-01-5
Text of S 5039 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions