S 7718 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Requires owners of certain large vessels to establish whale strike prevention policies

This bill requires owners of commercial vessels 500 feet or longer operating in New York's marine and coastal district to create and submit whale strike prevention policies by July 1, 2027. The policies must include science-based measures like speed reductions, crew training, and vessel-specific considerations to minimize collisions with whales. Vessel owners must submit these policies at least 48 hours before entering the district (no more than annually), and failure to comply results in fines of $1,000-$15,000 per day. The law aligns with federal guidelines but does not override existing vessel speed restrictions.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Assembly Passage
Governor
Introduced May 1, 2025 Last action Apr 27, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S7718 S7718A · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to reflect its progression through the legislative process, including a committee discharge and recommitment. Substantively, the effective date for the new whale strike prevention policies was delayed from July 2027 to July 2028, and a reference to the definition of 'whale interaction' was updated to cite the correct section number within the bill.
TIMELINE

The mandatory start date for large commercial vessels to maintain whale interaction prevention policies was moved from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2028.

TECHNICAL

A citation error was corrected in the requirements section, changing the reference for 'whale interactions' from 'section one hundred fifty of the navigation law' to 'section 13-0901 of this title'.

SCOPE

The bill text was updated to include procedural notes indicating that the bill was discharged from committee, amended, and recommitted, reflecting its current status in the Senate.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 5, 2025

How they voted

582
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 63
Jun 5, 2025
D Democratic41
39 Yea 2
95% Yea
R Republican22
19 Yea 2 Nay 1
86% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Amendments
2
Apr 27, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED SENATE
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 7718A
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
upper
Jun 5, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
lower
Jun 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
PASSED SENATE
upper
May 1, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Pete Harckham
Pete Harckham
DDemocratic/Working Families
NY
40