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A08261 Summary:

BILL NOA08261A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S00098-A
 
SPONSORRosenthal
 
COSPNSRMosley, Skoufis, Titone, Otis, Gottfried, Miller, Murray, Dinowitz, Zebrowski, Garbarino, Curran, Ra, Lavine, Quart, Seawright, Solages, Malliotakis
 
MLTSPNSRCeretto, Englebright, Galef, Glick, Linares, Lopez, Lupardo, Lupinacci, Perry, Rivera, Schimel, Simon, Skartados, Tedisco, Thiele
 
Add §239-b, Ed L
 
Establishes the research animal retirement act; requires research dogs and cats at higher education research facilities or facilities that provide research in collaboration with a higher education facility, to be offered for placement with non-profit animal rescue and shelter organizations; provides that such facilities may enter into agreements with rescue and shelter organizations for implementation.
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A08261 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8261A
 
SPONSOR: Rosenthal (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring research dogs and cats at certain facilities to be offered for adoption through private placement or a non-profit animal rescue and shelter organization   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This legislation would adopt the gold standard in canine and feline welfare by creating regulations pertaining to the treatment of dogs and cats at the end of any research performed on these animals.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1. Title of the bill. Section 2. "The Research Animal Retirement Act" amends the education law by adding a new section 239-b by requiring publicly funded animal research facilities to seek adoption for those animals not required to be euthanized when testing is complete. Section 3. Effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: State-funded research facilities (such as university laboratories) some- times utilize dogs and cats for research. If the animals do not have to be euthanized at the end of the tests for the sake of necropsy/cell and tissue samples, these dogs and cats deserve a chance to be adopted out. These labs should be required to make this effort. Currently there are many laws covering the treatment of animals in labs relating to food, pain management, bedding and enrichment devices. When the research is complete it is up to the discretion of lab workers to try to find homes for their canine and feline subjects. After all that these animals have endured, they deserve the extra effort by the research facility. This legislation would ensure that dog and cat test- ing subjects be afforded the opportunity to live out their lives in loving homes.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2013-2014: A 9900-A Referred to Higher Education, Amend (t) and Recommit to Higher Education, Print Number 9900a   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: On the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
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A08261 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         8261--A
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      June 16, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. ROSENTHAL, MOSLEY, SKOUFIS, TITONE, OTIS, GOTT-
          FRIED, MILLER, MURRAY, DINOWITZ,  ZEBROWSKI,  GARBARINO,  CURRAN,  RA,
          LAVINE,  QUART,  SEAWRIGHT  -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CERETTO,
          ENGLEBRIGHT, GALEF, GLICK, LINARES, LOPEZ, LUPARDO, LUPINACCI,  PERRY,
          RIVERA,  SCHIMEL,  SIMON,  SKARTADOS, TEDISCO, THIELE -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Higher Education --  recommitted  to  the
          Committee on Higher Education in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec.
          2  -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
          and recommitted to said committee
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in  relation  to  requiring  research
          dogs and cats at certain facilities to be offered for adoption through
          private  placement or a non-profit animal rescue and shelter organiza-
          tion
 
          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 "Research animal retirement act".
     3    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  239-b  to
     4  read as follows:
     5    §  239-b.  Research  dogs  and  cats.   1. A higher education research
     6  facility that receives public money, including tax-exempt status,  or  a
     7  facility that provides research in collaboration with a higher education
     8  facility shall after the completion of any testing or research involving
     9  a  dog or cat, assess the health of the dog or cat and determine whether
    10  it is suitable for adoption. Such facility shall thereafter make reason-
    11  able efforts to offer for adoption the dog or cat determined to be suit-
    12  able for adoption, either through private placement or through an animal
    13  rescue and shelter organization, a duly  incorporated  society  for  the
    14  prevention of cruelty to animals, a duly incorporated humane society, or
    15  a duly incorporated animal protective association that operates physical
    16  animal sheltering facilities and offers household pets to the public for
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02532-04-6

        A. 8261--A                          2
 
     1  adoption by way of an established adoption program, prior to euthanizing
     2  such  dog  or cat. Nothing in this section shall create a duty upon such
     3  an organization, association or society to accept a dog or  cat  offered
     4  by a higher education research facility for adoption.
     5    2.  A  facility  that  is  required to offer dogs or cats for adoption
     6  under this section may enter into an agreement with an animal rescue and
     7  shelter organization, a duly incorporated society for the prevention  of
     8  cruelty to animals, a duly incorporated humane society, or a duly incor-
     9  porated  animal  protective  association  that  operates physical animal
    10  sheltering facilities and  offers  household  pets  to  the  public  for
    11  adoption by way of an established adoption program.
    12    3.  The  attending or institutional veterinarian at a facility that is
    13  required to offer dogs or cats for adoption  under  this  section  shall
    14  have  the  authority  to  assess  the  health of an animal and determine
    15  whether an animal is suitable for adoption.
    16    § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    17  have become a law.
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