Environment

This bill extends the Department of Environmental Conservation's authority to manage Atlantic herring until December 31, 2029. The change updates the expiration date in the state's environmental conservation law, allowing the agency to continue overseeing herring populations for an additional three years. By amending the specific legal text, the legislation ensures the department can maintain its current management role without interruption. The act takes effect immediately upon passage.

This bill extends the legal protections against taking sharks in New York State, allowing the existing regulations to remain in effect until December 31, 2028. The measure directly affects individuals and entities that might interact with sharks, ensuring that current rules prohibiting the capture or killing of these animals continue to apply. By amending the environmental conservation law, the bill provides a temporary extension of the current framework without altering its specific requirements. This action allows the state to maintain its shark conservation efforts for an additional two years before the provisions automatically expire.

This bill asks the Governor of New York to officially recognize April 13-20, 2026, as Dark Sky Week. The resolution encourages residents to turn off non-essential outdoor lights during that week to reduce light pollution and better view the night sky. It does not change laws or require specific actions, but serves as a formal request to the Governor to issue a proclamation supporting environmental awareness and stargazing.

This bill extends the Department of Environmental Conservation's authority to manage scup fishing regulations until December 31, 2029. It directly affects commercial and recreational fishermen by allowing the department to continue setting rules on size limits, catch limits, seasons, and gear requirements for this specific fish species. The legislation ensures these management rules remain consistent with existing state laws and federal fishery plans while taking effect immediately upon passage.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, renewable energy projects, zero-emissions school buses and to apportioning aid for universal prekindergarten; relates to reimbursement for the 2026-2027 school year and the maximum contract hours, withholding a portion of employment preparation education aid, and the effectiveness thereof; relates to the use of apportionments for the EXCEL program and the effectiveness thereof; relates to maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; amends provisions relating to the apportionment amount for the Roosevelt union free school district; provides for set-asides from the state funds which certain districts are receiving from the total foundation aid; provides for support of public libraries; repeals certain provisions relating to the statewide universal full-day prekindergarten program (Part A); relates to evidence-based instructional practices in the subject of mathematics for students in kindergarten through grade five (Part B); relates to the eligibility of students enrolled in an approved program leading to a degree in a high demand field for the New York opportunity promise scholarship (Part C); allows for the chancellor of SUNY and CUNY to impose differential tuition rates on non-resident undergraduate and graduate students until the 2028-2029 academic year (Part E); relates to early childhood educator eligibility for the masters-in-education teacher incentive scholarship program (Part F); changes the name of the "New York state musical instrument revolving fund" to the "New York state music grant fund"; includes musical education in school districts and boards of cooperative educational services within not-for-profit musical entities incorporated in the state and organized for the purpose of the presentation of performing arts for the benefit of the public (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part K); increases the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program, the solutions to end homelessness program or the operational support for AIDS housing program (Part M); increases the number of land banks which can simultaneously exist in the state of New York from 35 to 45 (Part N); authorizes a tax abatement for alterations and improvements to multiple dwellings for purposes of preserving habitability in affordable housing (Part O); relates to establishing the crime of aggravated harassment of a rent regulated tenant (Part P); renumbers the disparate impact standard for housing and employment in the human rights law (Part Q); defines eligible multiple dwelling under the affordable New York housing program; includes a multiple dwelling that is located on a parcel of land which was part of a tract of land for which a special permit for a large scale general development was approved via the uniform land use review procedure on or before June 15, 2022, and such tract contains a multiple dwelling for which the commencement date is after December 31, 2015 and on or before June 15, 2022 and complies with certain affordability options (Part R).

This bill extends the Department of Environmental Conservation's authority to manage squid until December 31, 2029. The change updates the existing legal timeframe for this specific type of marine life management. Once enacted, the department will have the power to regulate squid activities under the current laws for the specified period.

This bill directs the State University of New York trustees to create a comprehensive plan aimed at eliminating waste across all campuses by the year 2033. The plan must involve input from faculty, staff, students, and labor groups, and it focuses on reducing single-use plastics, improving recycling and composting, and prioritizing durable materials over disposable ones. Each university campus will be required to develop its own detailed action plan within six months and must track progress using specific metrics on waste reduction and diversion. Additionally, the board of trustees will monitor implementation annually and report their findings to the state legislature and the public.

Authorizes and directs the commissioner of transportation to grant a perpetual conservation easement to certain entities over certain state-owned lands in the hamlets of Setauket and Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk County.

This bill extends the authority to regulate the number of Jonah crabs that can be caught commercially in New York for two additional years, until December 31, 2028. It directly affects commercial crab permit holders and holders of New York commercial lobster licenses by allowing the state department to set catch limits through regulation. These regulations must align with existing fishery management plans from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and federal conservation laws. The act takes effect immediately upon passage.

This bill designates May 29, 2026, as "Learn About Composting Day" to raise public awareness about the benefits of composting food waste. The resolution highlights that composting can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health, and help mitigate climate change impacts. It does not create new laws or require any specific actions from citizens or businesses. The measure serves as a symbolic gesture to encourage sustainable waste management practices in New York State.