Senate BillIntroduced
S 6824: Provides that employees of the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation who engage in tree maintenance must first obtain an appropriate sawyer certification through the United States forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program.
What S 6824 does, verified January 10, 2026
The bill requires employees of the office to obtain a specific type of certification through the United States Forest Service National Crosscut and Chainsaw Program before engaging in certain tree maintenance activities. These activities include brushing, bucking, limbing, and felling, as well as providing instruction and training on tree maintenance. The certification levels are level A, B, and C, which correspond to different levels of expertise and risk. The training must be conducted during regular working hours and employees will receive compensation at their regular rate of pay. The bill also defines "hazardous conditions" as situations that pose a significant risk to personnel, including natural disasters, extreme weather, and emergency situations. The bill takes effect immediately.
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 6824
- What is the current status of S 6824?
- As of January 10, 2026, S 6824 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 6824 pass?
- Not yet. S 6824 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 6824, and where is it now?
- S 6824 was authored by Sen. José Serrano. 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 |
| Mar. 25, 2025 | REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 25, 2025 · 342 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6824 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SERRANO -- 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 requiring sawyer training for employees engaged in tree maintenance 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 3.16 to read as follows: 3 § 3.16 Required sawyer training. 1. Beginning April first, two thou- 4 sand twenty-six, no person employed by the office shall: 5 (a) engage in tree maintenance, including but not limited to brushing, 6 bucking, limbing, and felling, without first obtaining a level A sawyer 7 certification through the United States forest service national crosscut 8 and chainsaw program; 9 (b) engage in tree maintenance in hazardous conditions without first 10 obtaining a level B sawyer certification through the United States 11 forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program; or 12 (c) provide instruction and training on tree maintenance without first 13 obtaining a level C sawyer certification through the United States 14 forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program. 15 2. All training mandated by this section shall be conducted during the 16 employee's regular working hours and employees shall receive compen- 17 sation at their regular rate of pay for any time spent participating in 18 such training. 19 3. For the purposes of this section, "hazardous conditions" shall mean 20 any situation that poses a significant risk to the health and safety of 21 personnel, including but not limited to natural disasters, extreme 22 weather, and other emergency situations. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10350-01-5
Text of S 6824 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions