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S 9741 NY

Enacts the "bird safe buildings act"

NY · session 2025-2026 · Senate · bill

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Introduced Apr 2, 2026

Latest action (May 12, 2026) REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE

Summary

This bill enacts the Bird Safe Buildings Act, which directs the commissioner of general services to incorporate features, practices, and strategies to reduce bird fatality from collisions with state-owned and, where practicable, state-leased buildings. The bill applies to buildings that are constructed, acquired, or undergo substantial alteration of more than fifty percent of the facade. The commissioner, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Conservation, shall develop a design guide that includes features for reducing bird fatalities during construction and operation, as well as best practices such as eliminating non-essential lighting during spring and fall migration, using bird-safe film or products designed to reduce collisions, incorporating bird-friendly glass in new construction or renovations, and placing landscaping features and green roofs. The design guide shall include information on how to participate in citizen science efforts that document bird collisions in New York State. The commissioner shall disseminate the design guide to all state agencies with independent leasing authority and update it every five years, with exemptions for buildings listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Official abstract

Enacts the "bird safe buildings act" directing the commissioner of general services to incorporate practices and strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with certain state-owned or state-leased buildings, and for other purposes; requires the commissioner to develop a design guide that includes features, methods and strategies, and best practices for reducing bird fatalities.

Sponsor (1)

Action history (4)

  1. Apr 2, 2026 REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS · upper
  2. Apr 7, 2026 AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS · upper
  3. Apr 7, 2026 PRINT NUMBER 9741A · upper
  4. May 12, 2026 REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE · upper

Text versions (3)

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

  • S9741 · HTML
  • S9741 · PDF
  • S9741A · PDF

Full text

Full text imported from assembly.state.ny.us

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New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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Bill No.: Summary Actions Committee&nbspVotes Floor&nbspVotes Memo Text LFIN Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript S09741 Summary: BILL NO S09741A &nbsp SAME AS SAME AS A03180-A

&nbsp SPONSOR KAVANAGH &nbsp COSPNSR &nbsp MLTSPNSR &nbsp Add §148, Pub Bldg L &nbsp Enacts the "bird safe buildings act" directing the commissioner of general services to incorporate practices and strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with certain state-owned or state-leased buildings, and for other purposes; requires the commissioner to develop a design guide that includes features, methods and strategies, and best practices for reducing bird fatalities.

Go to top S09741 Text:

STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

9741--A

IN SENATE

April 2, 2026 ___________

Introduced by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern- ment Operations -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the public buildings law, in relation to directing the commissioner of general services to incorporate practices and strate- gies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with certain state-owned buildings, and for other purposes

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "bird safe buildings act". 3 § 2. The public buildings law is amended by adding a new section 148 4 to read as follows: 5 § 148. Use of bird-safe features, practices, and strategies in state- 6 owned buildings. 1. As used in this section: 7 (a) "state agency" means any state department, office, board, bureau, 8 commission, agency, or any public authority or public benefit corpo- 9 ration at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor; 10 (b) "state-owned building" means any building owned by a state agency 11 used for official state business; and 12 (c) "state-leased building" means any building or portion of any 13 building leased by a state agency for office, departmental, or residen- 14 tial occupancy. 15 2. The commissioner of general services shall incorporate features, 16 practices, and strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from colli- 17 sions with state-owned buildings and, where practicable, state-leased 18 buildings. Such features, practices and strategies shall be incorpo- 19 rated for each building: 20 (a) constructed; 21 (b) acquired; or 22 (c) of which more than fifty percent of the facade is substantially 23 altered, as determined by the commissioner.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00085-02-6

S. 9741--A 2

1 3. The commissioner, in consultation with the department of environ- 2 mental conservation, shall develop a design guide to carry out the 3 provisions of subdivision two of this section that includes the follow- 4 ing: 5 (a) features for reducing bird fatality resulting from collisions with 6 state-owned buildings and, where practicable, state-leased buildings, 7 throughout all construction phases, taking into account the number of 8 each such bird fatality that occurs at different types of state-owned 9 buildings and, where practicable, state-leased buildings; 10 (b) methods and strategies for reducing bird fatality resulting from 11 collisions with state-owned buildings and, where practicable, state- 12 leased buildings, during the operation and maintenance of such build- 13 ings; 14 (c) best practices for reducing bird fatality resulting from colli- 15 sions with state-owned buildings and, where practicable, state-leased 16 buildings, including but not limited to: 17 (i) eliminating non-essential lighting during spring and fall 18 migration; 19 (ii) use of bird-safe film or other after-market products designed to 20 reduce bird collisions; 21 (iii) architectural or design elements that reduce the risk of colli- 22 sions; 23 (iv) use of bird-friendly glass in new construction or renovations 24 that require substantial alterations; and 25 (v) placement of landscaping features and green roofs; and 26 (d) information on how to participate in citizen science efforts that 27 document bird collisions in New York state. 28 4. To carry out the provisions of paragraph (c) of subdivision three 29 of this section, the commissioner shall identify best practices for 30 reducing bird fatality resulting from collisions with state-owned build- 31 ings and, where practicable, state-leased buildings, including best 32 practices recommended by: 33 (a) state, federal, and municipal agencies with expertise in bird 34 conservation; 35 (b) nongovernmental organizations with expertise in bird conservation; 36 and 37 (c) representatives of green building certification systems. 38 5. The commissioner shall disseminate the design guide developed 39 pursuant to subdivision three of this section to all state agencies with 40 independent leasing authority from the commissioner. 41 6. The commissioner shall, every five years, update the design guide 42 developed pursuant to subdivision three of this section with respect to 43 the priorities of the commissioner for reducing bird fatality resulting 44 from collisions with state-owned buildings and, where practicable, 45 state-leased buildings. 46 7. This section shall not apply to any building or site listed, or 47 eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places. 48 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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