NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6335
SPONSOR: Tedisco TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public officers law, in relation
to eliminating the residency requirement for the chief animal law
enforcement officer of a county; and to amend the agriculture and
markets law, in relation to authorizing certain animal societies and
pounds to spay or neuter and release abandoned cats
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this law is to amend the public officers' law, in
relation to eliminating the residency requirement for the chief animal
law enforcement officer of a count; and to amend the agriculture and
markets law, in relation to authorizing certain animal societies and
pounds to spay or neuter and then release stray cats.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: section 3-b of public officers law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 5, removes the residency restrictions of a. public officer
hired as the, and hired to perform the duties of a, counties chief
animal law enforcement officer.
Section 2: section 332 of the agriculture and markets law is amended to
allow animal rescues and animal societies to trap stray cats, spay or
neuter the cat and then release the cat back to the area it was
originally trapped.
Section 3: The bill shall take effect immediately.
JUSTIFICATION:
Local Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCA) groups
have contacted my office stating that they have individuals wanting to
assist in the growing number of stray animals and animal cruelty cases.
In many cases, SPCA groups wish to hire or appoint peace officers who
are living outside the county jurisdiction, and due to current law,
these volunteers cannot perform the duties they wish to perform. Remov-
ing the residency requirement will allow for volunteers to work for
SPCA's in the counties with the most need.
On a separate note, many communities are being overrun by stray cats.
Unfortunately, there are not enough homes willing to care for these
animals. In turn, they remain in the streets, continue to reproduce and
increase their numbers. This leads to sickness, disease, infestations
and death. By allowing a "Trap, Neuter and Spay then Release" program
(TNR), willing Veterinarians will trap these animals, spay and neuter
them, and release them back to where they came from. This will cut down
on the number of kittens and future cats that will crowd communities.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: None
EFFECTIVE DATE: Shall take effect immediately.
