Assembly Bill 2054 was introduced on 1/14/21 and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation.
Synopsis: Prohibits certain wildlife and fish from being imported into the state in order to protect public health and safety, native wildlife and fish, and the agricultural interests of the state; relates to the operation of live animal markets.
The bill would provide that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation must create an animal importation ban list by December 31, 2022. Initially, the list would include all bats, rodents, and primates (unless the species is listed as exempt). The Department may include other species if it determines that “prohibiting the importation into the state is necessary to protect public health and safety, native wildlife or fish, or agricultural interests of the state.”
A second portion of the bill covers “live animal markets.” The market definition is “a retail food market where, in the regular course of business, animals are stored alive and sold to consumers for the purpose of human consumption.”
While the bill may not have overreaching consequences for herpetoculture, it is important to be aware and informed. It will need to be monitored to address possible unjust species listings. For example, banning the importation of all rodents is beyond problematic but there would likely be species exemptions. The same bill was introduced late last session as AB11144.
Committee members can be found at Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation |Committees | New York State Assembly. The bill is sponsored by Assemblymember Jo Simon.
Read the bill text and additional details at Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly.