Here is the reply I received from Assembly Joel Miller in my District. Also below is the role on voting in the State Assembly back in May, so you can see how your Assemblyman voted. It has yet to go to the State Senate. Please write to your state senator and express your opposition to this bill.
From Assemblyman Joel Miller: Dear Mr. McDonald,
This is in response to your email regarding Assembly Bill A1835, allowing counties to enact a local law to restrict limit or prohibit trapping within the municipality. Thank you for taking the time to write and advise me of
your views and concerns.
In spite of the tragic nature of this accident, I still believe that the determination of trapping policy should remain a statewide determination. The Department of Environmental Conservation has the expertise to evaluate
based on merit. All too often small well organized groups can apply enough pressure at the local level to put into effect regulation, rule or laws that fall short of the best possible solutions.
This piece of legislation passed the Assembly on May 22, 2006 Yea's 89 and Nay's 54. Please note on the enclosed bill that I voted in opposition of this bill.
If either my staff or I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at (845) 463-1635 or vial email at
[email protected].
Thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
Joel M. Miller
Member of Assembly
102nd Assembly District
JMM/klp
How The State Assembly Voted: STATUS:
Grannis (MS) Same as S 2142 PADAVAN
Environmental Conservation Law
TITLE....Relates to limiting, restricting or prohibiting
trapping
01/21/05 referred to environmental conservation
01/04/06 referred to environmental conservation
04/25/06 reported referred to codes
04/25/06 reported
04/27/06 advanced to third reading cal.184
05/22/06 passed assembly
05/22/06 delivered to senate
05/23/06 REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
S2142 PADAVAN Same as A 1835 Grannis (MS)
ON FILE: 01/04/06 Environmental Conservation Law
TITLE....Relates to limiting, restricting or prohibiting
trapping
02/09/05 REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
01/04/06 REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOTING:
05/22/06 A1835 Assembly Vote Yes: 89 No : 54
05/22/06 A1835 Assembly Vote Yes: 89 No : 54
Yes Abbate Yes Alessi Yes Alfano Yes Arroyo
No Aubertine Yes Aubry No Bacalles No Barclay
Yes Barra Yes Benedetto Yes Benjamin Yes Bing
Yes Boyland Yes Boyle Yes Bradley Yes Brennan
Yes Brodsky No Brown No Burling No Butler
No Cahill No Calhoun Yes Camara Yes Canestrari
Yes Carrozza No Casale P No Christensen Yes Clark
Yes Cohen No Cole Yes Colton Yes Conte
Yes Cook No Crouch Yes Cusick Yes Cymbrowitz
No DelMonte No Destito Yes Diaz L No Diaz R
Yes DiNapoli Yes Dinowitz Yes Eddington Yes Englebright
No Errigo Yes Espaillat Yes Farrell No Fields
No Finch No Fitzpatrick Yes Friedman Yes Galef
Yes Gantt Yes Gianaris No Giglio Yes Glick
Yes Gordon Yes Gottfried Yes Grannis Yes Green
ER Greene No Gunther A No Hawley No Hayes
Yes Heastie Yes Hevesi No Hikind ER Hooker
ER Hooper Yes Hoyt No Ignizio Yes Jacobs
No John No Kirwan No Kolb Yes Koon
Yes Lafayette Yes Latimer Yes Lavelle Yes Lavine
Yes Lentol Yes Lifton Yes Lopez No Lupardo
No Magee No Magnarelli Yes Maisel No Manning
Yes Markey Yes Mayersohn No McDonald Yes McDonough
Yes McEneny Yes McKevitt ER McLaughlin ER Meng
No Miller Yes Millman No Mirones Yes Morelle
No Mosiello Yes Nolan No Oaks Yes O'Donnell
No O'Mara Yes Ortiz No Ortloff No Parment
Yes Paulin No Peoples Yes Peralta Yes Perry
Yes Pheffer Yes Powell Yes Pretlow No Quinn
No Rabbitt Yes Raia Yes Ramos No Reilich
No Reilly Yes Rivera J Yes Rivera N Yes Rivera P
Yes Robinson Yes Rosenthal Yes Saladino No Sayward
Yes Scarborough No Schimminger No Schroeder No Scozzafava
ER Seminerio No Stephens Yes Sweeney No Tedisco
Yes Thiele Yes Titus No Tokasz No Tonko
Yes Towns No Townsend Yes Walker Yes Weinstein
Yes Weisenberg Yes Weprin Yes Wright Yes Zebrowski
Yes Mr. Speaker
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY:
GRANNIS, MCENENY, ENGLEBRIGHT, P. RIVERA, HOYT, BARRA, EDDINGTON; M-S: Bing,
A. Cohen, Dinowitz, Glick, Gottfried, Hooper, Lopez, Pheffer, Rosenthal,
Weinstein, Zebrowski
Add S11-1111, En Con L
Provides that each county within the state may limit, restrict or prohibit
trapping within its municipal limits; provides that municipalities may do so
by local law or ordinance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BILL TEXT:
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1835
2005-2006 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2005
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GRANNIS, McENENY, ENGLEBRIGHT, P.
RIVERA --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. A. COHEN, DINOWITZ, GLICK,
GOTTFRIED,
HOOPER, LOPEZ, WEINSTEIN -- read once and referred to the
Committee on
Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
muni-
cipalities regulating the use of traps
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 11-1111 to read as follows:
3 § 11-1111. Municipal regulation of trapping.
4 Notwithstanding any other provision of this article or of any
other
5 law, rule or regulation, each county in the state may, by local law
or
6 ordinance, restrict, limit or prohibit trapping within its
municipal
7 limits. No provision of this section shall be deemed to prohibit
the
8 department from exercising its emergency powers pursuant to
section
9 11-0325 of this article in relation to the control of fish or
wildlife
10 in the public interest to prevent the introduction or spread of
disease.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in
brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04740-01-5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPONSORS MEMO:
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(e)
BILL NUMBER: A1835
SPONSOR: Grannis (MS)
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in
relation to municipalities regulating the use of traps
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To allow counties to enact a local
law to restrict, limit or prohibit trapping within the municipality.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: The environmental conservation law is
amended by adding a new section to allow counties to enact local laws
more rigid than state laws regarding trapping.
JUSTIFICATION: Currently, three counties across the state have
enacted local laws to impose more limits on the use of traps throughout
their counties. The state has challenged these laws passed in Suffolk
and Rockland counties and has been upheld in court because the authority
to regulate trapping on other than county property is only granted to
the state. Legislation is necessary so that counties may place limits on
trapping without fear of state intervention. The DEC has failed to
respond to the changing demographics of those different counties. This
bill would place the decisions in the hands of county legislatures as to
how much if any trapping should be allowed in the county.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2004: A.480 - Third reading rules cal. 944
2003: A.480 - En Con
2002: A.5202 - Referred to Rules
2001: A.5202 - Referred to Rules
2000: A.1150 - Referred to Encon
1999: A.1150 - Referred to Encon
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None
EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:53 AM
Subject: Online Contact Form
My Note to the Assemblyman:
> The following message has been posted on the online contact form:
>
> Name: Stephen McDonald
> Street: 1 Hillcrest Terrace
> Street2:
> City: Staatsburg
> State: New York
> Zip: 12480
> Phone: 845-401-1911
> Email: [email protected]
> Message: Dear Assemblyman Miller,
>
> I am writing to you regarding the two bills currently before the State
> House and Senate regarding Local Restrictions on Trapping - S. 2142 and
> A. 1835. Again, we are seeing another example where bills supported mostly
> being downstate and New York City consituents, now have a desire to
> regulate trapping for the entire state of New York. This is a very bad
> idea. Number one, since when do local muncipalities have the knowledge,
> resources, and wildlife mamangement expertise and data to take control of
> trapping away from the N.Y. DEC and it's wildlife managers. Secondly,
> these bills are being heavily supported by the Humane Society of the
> United States (HSUS), which has made it very clear that their agenda is to
> eliminate hunting, fishing and trapping throughout the Unuited States.
> These bills are extremely dangerous and would set a very dangerous
> precedent, that would open the door to further restrictions against
> hunting and fishing throughout New York State, as well as trapping.
> Trapping, Fishing, Hunting and wildlife management belongs in the hands of
> those highly educated biologists and professionals under the Dept. of
> Environmental Conservation. This should not be left to local politicians
> and special interests groups (HSUS) with hidden agendas or otherwise.
>
> Very Sincerely,
> Stephen McDonald
>