NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2024
SPONSOR: Barnwell TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in
relation to limiting licensing to only pet dealers which sell animals
obtained from shelters and rescue organizations
PURPOSE:
To prevent pet dealers from selling animals obtained from commercial
breeders. This bill would allow pet dealers to only sell animals
obtained from shelters or rescue organizations.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
No pet dealer shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter,
auction, give away, broker or otherwise transfer or dispose of an animal
except one obtained from: (1) An animal shelter; (2) A private, nonpro-
fit humane society or nonprofit animal rescue organization; or (3) An
animal shelter, nonprofit humane society or nonprofit animal rescue
organization that operates out of or in connection with a pet shop.
Nothing shall prevent a pet shop or pet dealer from providing space and
appropriate care for animals owned by an animal shelter, nonprofit
humane society or nonprofit animal rescue agency and maintained at a pet
shop for the purpose of adopting those animals to the public.
JUSTIFICATION:
Puppy mills, kitten mills and other large scale commercial animal mills
are mass breeding facilities that produce puppies, kittens, and other
animals, for sale. These mills often seek to benefit financially at the
expense of the well-being of animals. These mills contribute to pet
overpopulation and cause countless animals a lifetime of suffering in
horrific conditions. For example, the irresponsible breeding practices
endemic to puppy mills often result in a host of hereditary and congen-
ital diseases common to puppy mill puppies. This bill will target
outlets that drive the wholesale production of animals in inhumane mills
while combating pet overpopulation:
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-2020 A2616
2017-2018 A2982
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2024
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BARNWELL, COOK, CRUZ, EPSTEIN -- Multi-Sponsored
by -- M. of A. BYRNE, GLICK, OTIS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to limiting
licensing to only pet dealers which sell animals obtained from shel-
ters and rescue organizations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 403 of the agriculture and markets law is amended
2 by adding a new subdivision 12 to read as follows:
3 12. No pet dealer shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale,
4 barter, auction, give away, broker or otherwise transfer or dispose of
5 an animal unless it is obtained from:
6 (a) an animal shelter;
7 (b) a private, nonprofit humane society or nonprofit animal rescue
8 organization; or
9 (c) an animal shelter, nonprofit humane society or nonprofit animal
10 rescue organization that operates out of or in connection with a pet
11 dealer.
12 Nothing shall prevent a pet dealer from providing space and appropri-
13 ate care for animals owned by an animal shelter, nonprofit humane socie-
14 ty or nonprofit animal rescue agency and maintained by a pet dealer for
15 the purpose of adopting those animals to the public.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
17 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06928-01-1
