STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2312

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 16, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SMULLEN, K. BROWN, TAGUE, PALMESANO, JENSEN,
          MANKTELOW, MAHER, McDONOUGH,  LEMONDES,  BRABENEC,  DiPIETRO,  GIGLIO,
          HAWLEY, DeSTEFANO, ANGELINO, E. BROWN -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Environmental Conservation

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
          establishing a hunting mentorship program

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
     2  new section 11-0936 to read as follows:
     3  § 11-0936. Hunting mentorship program.
     4    1. As used in this section, "qualified  hunting  mentor"  or  "mentor"
     5  means a person who satisfies all of the following requirements:
     6    (a) the person is twenty-one years of age or older;
     7    (b) the person holds both a valid certificate of completion of a hunt-
     8  ers' education course and a current valid hunting license;
     9    (c)  the  person is the parent or guardian of the person for whom they
    10  are serving as a mentor or is authorized by the parent  or  guardian  to
    11  serve  as  a  mentor; provided that this requirement does not apply to a
    12  person serving as a mentor for a person who is twenty-one years  of  age
    13  or older; and
    14    (d)  at  all  times  when  serving  as a qualified hunting mentor, the
    15  person is within arm's reach of the person for whom they are serving  as
    16  a mentor.
    17    2.  A  person  who  is  at least ten years of age may hunt small game,
    18  fowl, deer or bear in  this  state  during  applicable  seasons  without
    19  obtaining  a  hunting license or hunter's education course certification
    20  and may, while hunting, possess or control a firearm  if  at  all  times
    21  when  hunting,  the  person is within arm's reach of a qualified hunting
    22  mentor.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03556-01-5
        A. 2312                             2

     1    3. A person who is authorized to hunt with a mentor under this section
     2  and a mentor under this section with whom that person hunts may  jointly
     3  have  only  one  firearm,  only one bow, or, if hunting with a crossbow,
     4  only one crossbow in their possession or control while hunting.
     5    4. A qualified hunting mentor may serve as a mentor under this section
     6  for only one person at a time on any hunting trip.
     7    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.