What's happening
This bill makes violations of animal care laws by pet dealers a misdemeanor instead of a civil offense.
Why it matters
Raises the stakes for pet dealers. By upgrading violations from civil offenses to misdemeanors, this bill means pet dealers found guilty of not properly caring for animals could face criminal charges, not just fines. That could include a criminal record, possible jail time, and broader consequences for their business and personal lives.
Potential deterrent effect. The threat of a misdemeanor conviction may deter pet dealers from cutting corners or neglecting animal welfare, as the risks now extend beyond financial penalties to legal and reputational harm.
Reflects a shift in societal values. This change signals that the state considers animal welfare violations by pet dealers to be serious offenses, on par with other criminal behaviors, and not just regulatory slip-ups.
Impacts enforcement and legal proceedings. Local law enforcement and courts would become more involved in these cases, potentially increasing the resources needed for prosecution and possibly leading to more thorough investigations of suspected violations.
Albany, before your first meeting.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Make Animal Neglect a Crime
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1658
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ZEBROWSKI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to making violations of provisions of law relating to the care of animals by pet dealers a misdemeanor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 406 of the agriculture and markets law, as amended by chapter 251 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
2. Violation of any provision of this article[,] is a [civil offense, for which a penalty of not less than one hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars for each violation may be imposed] misdemeanor.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04106-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.