What's happening
This bill creates a statewide database of animal cruelty, fighting, neglect, and mistreatment convictions accessible to law enforcement and animal protection agencies.
Why it matters
Creates a detailed, centralized record of animal-related convictions. , including not just animal cruelty and fighting, but also neglect, abandonment, and mistreatment—helping authorities identify patterns of behavior and potential risks to both animals and people.
Requires documentation of specific acts, conviction details, and offender information. , such as names, ages (for those 18+), dates, and locations, making it easier for agencies to track repeat offenders and inform investigations.
Makes the database accessible to a wide range of agencies. not just police and prosecutors but also animal protection groups and control officers—potentially improving coordination in animal welfare cases and enabling more effective interventions.
Preserves local control. , explicitly allowing municipalities to maintain their own animal abuse registries, so regions with existing efforts aren’t preempted and can supplement the statewide system.
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Who cares
Division of Criminal Justice Services
The division would have to establish and maintain an animal cruelty crime database in print and electronic form and issue implementing rules.
Law enforcement agencies and district attorneys
They would gain access to records covering animal mistreatment convictions and certain related plea dispositions.
- Likely support
Humane societies, SPCAs, dog and cat protective associations and animal control officers
These groups would receive access to the database to support analysis and animal protection.
Adults convicted of animal mistreatment
The database would include their names, ages, specific acts, dates and counties where the acts occurred.
Headline styles
Track Animal Cruelty Convictions
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
20 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to codes
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to agriculture
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.
Track Animal Cruelty Convictions
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Martin J. Golden
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
317
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 5, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, LUPARDO, DINOWITZ, COLTON, JAFFEE, HEVESI, BENEDETTO, KAVANAGH, MONTESANO, TITONE, ENGLEBRIGHT, OTIS, SKOUFIS, PERRY, MURRAY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, GLICK, GOTTFRIED, HOOPER, LOPEZ, MAGEE, MALLIOTAKIS, McDONOUGH, McKEVITT, M. G. MILLER, RAIA, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the creation of an animal cruelty and animal fighting database
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings. Studies in psychology, sociology and criminology have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recognized this connection since the 1970s when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals during their life. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse, leading the American Psychiatric Association to consider animal cruelty as one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder.
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 837-t to read as follows:
§ 837-t. Animal cruelty database. 1. The division shall establish and maintain a crime database of all convictions in New York state of animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment, and mistreatment of animals as set forth in article twenty-six of the agriculture and markets law and the penal law where data of such crimes shall be collected and displayed in a manner that facilitates analysis and the protection of animals. For the purpose of this section, convictions shall also include pleas to a charge other than animal
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01711-01-7
A. 317 2
cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment, and mistreatment of animals as set forth in article twenty-six of the agriculture and markets law and the penal law in satisfaction of the animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment or other animal mistreatment charge or where the animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment or other animal mistreatment charge has not resulted in a dismissal on the merits.
2. Such crime database shall include, but not be limited to, names and ages of persons eighteen years of age or older who have been convicted of animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment and other laws pertaining to the mistreatment of animals as set forth in article twenty-six of the agriculture and markets law and the penal law, the specific acts of animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal neglect, animal abandonment or the mistreatment of animals that were the basis of the conviction, the date or dates the acts took place, and the county where such acts took place.
3. The crime database shall be in print and in electronic form and shall be available to all law enforcement entities, district attorneys, duly incorporated humane societies, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, dog and cat protective associations and animal control officers.
4. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or restrict municipalities from enacting or enforcing local laws, rules, regulations or ordinances establishing and maintaining an animal abuse registry or database or other means of tracking or identifying persons charged with violating animal abuse laws.
§ 3. This act shall take effect twelve months after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the division of criminal justice services shall promulgate rules and regulations as it deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act, on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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