What's happening
This bill requires animal shelters in New York to prepare, submit, and publicly share detailed annual reports on animal intakes and outcomes.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. by requiring shelters to disclose specific intake and outcome data, making it easier for the public and policymakers to assess shelter practices and animal welfare.
Standardizes reporting across shelters. , ensuring that all facilities provide comparable information on animal surrenders, adoptions, transfers, deaths (with reasons, including for euthanasia), and animals turned away (with reasons).
Enables data-driven improvements. in animal welfare policy and shelter management by making detailed information publicly available both online and at the shelter, potentially identifying problem areas or best practices statewide.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Animal Shelter Reports
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to domestic animal welfare
- Reported and committed to finance
- Print number 3411a
- Amend (t) and recommit to domestic animal welfare
- Referred to domestic animal welfare
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.
Require Animal Shelter Reporting
In Assembly Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor David Weprin
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3411--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 6, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MARTINEZ, BIAGGI, BOYLE, GIANARIS, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requiring animal shelters to prepare annual reports
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 374-a to read as follows:
§ 374-a. Animal shelter annual reports. 1. Any animal shelter shall, by March first of each year, prepare an annual report disclosing:
(a) the number of animal intakes, including, but not limited to animals that were:
(i) surrendered by owners;
(ii) brought in by animal control, specified by jurisdiction; and
(iii) strays taken in by someone other than the owner;
(b) the number of animal dispositions, including, but not limited to animals that:
(i) were adopted;
(ii) were released to owners;
(iii) were transferred to other facilities, specified by facility; and
(iv) died, specifying the reason for death, including, but not limited to natural causes or euthanasia, and specifying the reason for such euthanasia; and
(c) the number of animals that have been turned away from the shelter, and the reason such animals were turned away.
2. Each animal shelter shall send such report to the department electronically, and such department shall publish such reports on its website.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07399-03-9
S. 3411--A 2
3. Each animal shelter shall maintain at least one printed copy of such annual report to be viewed by the public on site upon request.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however that animal shelters subject to this act shall have completed their first annual report no later than January 1, 2024.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requiring animal shelters to prepare annual reports
Purpose
To promote better care of animals placed in shelters by requiring great- er transparency on the part of state funded animal shelters with regard to both the intake and disposition of animals.
Summary of provisions
Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new section 374-a which provides that any animal shelter that receives state funding shall prepare an annual report by January first of each year. Such annual report shall include the number of animal intakes, includ- ing, but not limited to animals that were surrendered by owners; were brought in by animal control, specifying from which jurisdiction; and were brought in as strays by someone other than the animal's owner. The report shall also include the number of animal dispositions, including, but not limited to animals that were adopted; were released to owners, or were transferred to other facilities, specifying the facility. The report shall include the number of animals that have died, specifying the reason for death, including deaths by euthanasia and the reasons for such euthanasia deaths. The report shall also include the number of animals turned away from each shelter. Each shelter shall send its reports to the department who shall publish the reports online. Each animal shelter shall maintain at least one printed copy of their annual report to be viewed by the Public on site upon request.
Section two provides the effective date.
Justification
Animal shelters need to be held accountable to the public. The number of animals that are cared for by each shelter and the source of the animals are of interest to the public. The disposition of such animals is of equal interest, and an important indicator of the quality of and commit- ment to the rescue and care of animals. By requiring shelters to reveal certain specified information in the form of an annual report, this legislation will promote transparency and accountability, which in turn may lead to improved animal care and more favorable dispositions. The financial burden to the shelters is minimal when balanced against the potential for great gains in the quality of shelter practices.
Fiscal implications
Minimal cast to state funded animal shelters to produce annual reports.
Prior legislative history
02/06/17 referred to agriculture 01/03/18 referred to agriculture
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however that animal shelters subject to this act shall have completed their first annual report no later than January 1, 2020.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.