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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 4
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Requires veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Linda Rosenthal
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to mandating the reporting of suspected animal cruelty by veterinarians
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation would adopt the gold standard in prevention of animal abuse by mandating that veterinarians report suspected abuse to authorities.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Amends paragraphs a and b of subdivision 2 of section 6714 of the education law by requiring that veterinarians who suspect animal abuse report and disclose records to authorities.
Section 2. Effective date.
Justification
Frequently cases of animal abuse go unaddressed because they are not brought to the attention of authorities. In some instances, a veterinarian treating an abused or neglected animal might be the only person who witnesses the results of the abuse or neglect.
If a veterinarian reasonably and in good faith suspects that a companion animal's injury, illness or condition is the result of animal cruelty, the veterinarian should be required to report the incident and disclose records concerning the companion animal's condition and treatment to the police or other appropriate government agency or any agent thereof.
This legislation changes the current law which "allows" veterinarians to report and disclose records of suspected abuse, to "requiring" veterinarians to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect.
Veterinarians are medical professionals with a duty to care and protect animals. When, in their professional judgment, they suspect cases of abuse or neglect, they should be required to report it.
Prior legislative history
None.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.