What's happening
This bill requires slaughterhouse owners to reimburse costs for recapturing escaped animals and imposes civil penalties for such incidents.
Why it matters
Shifts financial responsibility for escaped animal incidents from public agencies to slaughterhouse owners. , ensuring taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for animal recovery, rescue, or rehabilitation efforts.
Creates a new civil penalty ($1,000 per escaped animal) and earmarks those funds for local animal shelters. , which could provide ongoing support for municipal or county animal care infrastructure.
Explicitly allows animal owners to relinquish ownership of escaped animals instead of paying the fine. , potentially leading to more animals being placed in rescue or sanctuary situations rather than returned to slaughter.
May incentivize slaughterhouse operators to strengthen their animal containment protocols. , reducing the likelihood of escapes and the associated costs and penalties.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Slaughterhouses Pay for Escaped Animals
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
633
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, SIMONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requiring the owner of any place or establishment where animals or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food to reimburse costs associated with capture and return or rescue and rehabilitation of escaped animals
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 96-e-1 to read as follows:
§ 96-e-1. Penalties for escaped animals and fowl. 1. For purposes of this section: (a) "Escaped animal" shall mean any animal or fowl that has broken free and fled from confinement or control by any place or establishment where animals or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food and roams off the premises of such facility; and
(b) "Individual engaged in animal rescue" shall mean any private person who brings under control any escaped animal.
2. In instances where any animal or fowl has escaped from any place or establishment where animals or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food, as defined by this article and such animal is recovered by any law enforcement officer, peace officer, authorized animal control officer, or individual engaged in animal rescue and delivered by such persons to a municipal animal control or rescue facility, the owner of any such place or establishment shall be liable for the reimbursement of any costs incurred by the municipality and animal control or local health department associated with the capture and return of escaped animals. For each incident involving an escaped animal, a civil penalty of one thousand dollars shall be assessed which shall be donated to the municipal or county shelter of the city or county where such animal escaped. In lieu of civil penalty, the owner of any place or establishment may relinquish ownership of an escaped animal.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02409-01-5
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.