STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 261 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 4, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in relation to establishing the state parks passport program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The parks, recreation and historic preservation law is 2 amended by adding a new section 3.27 to read as follows: 3 § 3.27 State parks passport program. 1. Notwithstanding any other 4 provision of law, the commissioner shall establish a state parks pass- 5 port program. 6 2. The state parks passport program shall use a printed passport book 7 or electronic application to allow visitors to state parks and historic 8 sites to log their visits to such sites with ink stamps or electronic 9 stamps, and ink stamps or electronic stamps that identify each state 10 park or historic site by name. The costs associated with the development 11 of the state parks passport program shall be derived from the patron 12 services account of the miscellaneous special revenue fund. The commis- 13 sioner may charge purchasers of the printed passport book or electronic 14 application for the costs associated for printing or developing those 15 materials. 16 3. The commissioner may designate a subset of such sites each year to 17 highlight various regions of the state or various state park regions. 18 The commissioner may provide for the conducting of special events that 19 emphasize outdoor recreation or fitness for certain subsets of park 20 attendees including, but not limited to, children and senior citizens. 21 4. The commissioner may promulgate such regulations as may be neces- 22 sary for the operation of the state parks passport program. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01106-01-3