Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick, 66th Assembly District Manhattan, Assembly committee approval of several important pieces of legislation. Passed through committee today are:

• A.2917 – Prohibits wildlife killing contests, in which prizes are awarded for killing the largest number of coyotes, foxes, crows, and other wildlife. Every year there are dozens of killing contests that celebrate the wasteful killing of wildlife that serves no conservation or safety goal. If signed into law, New York will join eight other states that have already banned these gruesome contests.

• A.1903A –Requires wind turbines to have one rotor blade to be colored to minimize bird collisions. Preliminary data shows that coloring one rotor blade of a wind turbine reduces bird strikes by over 60%. This legislation will take effect when the FAA authorizes wind turbines be colored shared other than white.

• A.5109A – Prohibits the slaughter of horses for the purpose of human or animal consumption. Although there are no horse slaughterhouses in New York, many horses are purchased by killer buyers in auctions in state and are transported in inhumane conditions to Canada to be slaughtered. Horses are largely treated as companion animals, and since they are not intended to enter the food chain, are commonly treated with medications that are incompatible with being slaughtered for consumption.

• A.6249A – Raises the penalties for concealing or obfuscating a vehicle’s license plate. As New York has shifted to cashless tolling, toll evasion has dramatically increased.Tolls are a collective expense on New Yorkers that funds the maintenance of our roadways. Those who intentionally evade tolls are essentially stealing from law-abiding New Yorkers.

• A.7394 – Extends the time frame that tenants newly eligible for the SCRIE and DRIE programs that live in former Mitchell-Lama buildings can have their rent frozen to the rent paid on May 31, 2022. I was proud to pass legislation last year that extended SCRIE and DRIE eligibility and tied the rent freeze to 5/31/22, but unfortunately a NYC local law has not yet been passed to allow applications to be received by city agencies that administer these programs. This legislation will allow tenants that are newly-eligible under last year’s law to apply for a rent freeze tied to their rent as it was on May 31, 2022 until March 31, 2024.

Assemblymember Glick said, “The bills advanced by Assembly committees today cover diverse subject areas, but they all will make New York State a better place to call home. New Yorkers want affordable rent, especially for our seniors and disabled neighbors, for our wildlife and companion animals to be treated humanely, and for all of us to respect the rules of the road and fairly contribute toward maintaining safe roadways. I look forward to full Assembly passage of these and other bills before the conclusion of the legislative session.”