Senate BillIntroduced
S 8304: Directs the commissioner of DEC to remove peregrine falcons from the endangered species list and to promulgate regulations for their use in falconry.
What S 8304 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill amends the environmental conservation law to define raptors, which include birds of prey such as falcons, hawks, owls, and eagles. The definition also includes golden eagles and peregrine falcons that are lawfully acquired before 1978. Falconry is defined as the sport of hunting with trained raptors, including training, feeding, and handling the birds. 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 8304
- What is the current status of S 8304?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 8304 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 8304 pass?
- Not yet. S 8304 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 8304, and where is it now?
- S 8304 was authored by Sen. Peter Oberacker. 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 |
| May. 30, 2025 | REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, May 30, 2025 · 276 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8304 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE May 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. OBERACKER -- 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 falconry The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 11-1001 of the environmental conservation law, as 2 added by chapter 825 of the laws of 1973, subdivision 1 as amended by 3 chapter 325 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows: 4 § 11-1001. Definitions. 5 (1) "Raptors" means all species of the orders Strigiformes and Falco- 6 niformes and shall include but not be limited to falcons, hawks, owls 7 and eagles except the golden eagle (Aquila [chrysaetor] chrysaetos) and 8 bald eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus) and all birds listed as endangered 9 or threatened pursuant to section 11-0535 of this article. However, 10 [properly banded peregrine falcons which are the progeny of birds11lawfully acquired prior to 1978 are] lawfully acquired golden eagles, 12 peregrine falcons, and their progeny are raptors within the meaning of 13 this section. 14 (2) "Falconry" means the sport of hunting by the use of trained 15 raptors and includes the training, feeding and handling of such birds 16 and their recapture after being released for hunting or training. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13299-01-5
Text of S 8304 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions