Bill Text: FL S0872 | 2013 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: Animal Shelters and Animal Control Agencies

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Failed) 2013-05-03 - Died in Community Affairs, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/SB 674 (Ch. 2013-32) [S0872 Detail]

Download: Florida-2013-S0872-Comm_Sub.html

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       Florida Senate - 2013                              CS for SB 872
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Agriculture; and Senators Abruzzo, Thompson,
       Evers, Altman, and Bullard
       
       
       
       575-02589-13                                           2013872c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to animal shelters and animal control
    3         agencies; providing a short title; creating s. 823.17,
    4         F.S.; providing legislative findings; requiring each
    5         animal shelter and animal control agency to compile
    6         monthly and annual summaries of statistical data;
    7         listing the categories of information required in the
    8         summaries; requiring the summaries be posted on the
    9         entity’s website within a specified time period;
   10         requiring each summary to be signed by the director of
   11         the animal shelter or animal control agency as true
   12         and accurate; providing an effective date.
   13  
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Transparency in
   17  Animal Shelter Act”.
   18         Section 2. Section 823.17 Florida Statutes is created to
   19  read:
   20         823.17 Uniform reporting requirements for animal shelters
   21  and animal control agencies.
   22         (1) The Legislature finds that additional efforts must be
   23  made to find homes for homeless and unwanted animals in an
   24  effort to reduce or eliminate the euthanasia of adoptable dogs
   25  and cats. To that end, the Legislature finds that defining the
   26  problem and assessing programs both require statistical
   27  measurement.
   28         (2) In furtherance of this policy, provision shall be made
   29  for the uniform reporting of statistics related to dogs and cats
   30  taken in and the ultimate disposition of the animal. Each animal
   31  shelter whether public or private, including all animal control
   32  agencies of a county, municipality, or other incorporated
   33  political subdivision that euthanizes animals according to s.
   34  828.058 shall prepare and maintain the following records on a
   35  monthly and annual basis, using the calendar year, and make the
   36  reports available for public inspection and dissemination no
   37  later than 5 business days after the end of the each calendar
   38  month:
   39         (a) The total number dogs and cats taken in by the animal
   40  shelter and animal control agency, divided by dogs and cats, or
   41  others in the following categories:
   42         1. Starting inventory/shelter count on the first day of the
   43  month;
   44         2. Stray/At-large;
   45         3. Confiscated/Involuntarily taken;
   46         4. Relinquished by owner;
   47         5. Born in shelter;
   48         6. Owner requested euthanasia;
   49         7. Transferred in or imported from within the state; and
   50         8. Transferred in or imported from out of the state.
   51         (b) The disposition of all animals taken into the animal
   52  shelter or animal control agency, divided by dogs and cats in
   53  the following categories:
   54         1. Adopted;
   55         2. Returned to owner;
   56         3. Transferred out or exported within the state;
   57         4. Transferred out or exported to another state;
   58         5. Released in field/TNR;
   59         6. Shelter euthanasia;
   60         7. Owner requested euthanasia;
   61         8. Died in care/other deaths not shown as shelter or owner
   62  requested euthanasia;
   63         9. Lost in care/Missing animals or records; and
   64         10. Ending inventory/shelter count at the end of the last
   65  day of the month.
   66         (3) Each animal shelter and animal control agency shall
   67  post these statistics online on the animal shelter, county,
   68  municipality, or other governmental website that controls the
   69  animal shelter and that is accessible to the general public
   70  within 5 business days after the first day of each month, in
   71  accordance with the state’s requirements on the accessibility of
   72  public records, as well as make the records available in hard
   73  copy as defined in s. 119.07.
   74         (4) The director of the animal shelter or animal control
   75  agency shall sign each report indicating the report is true and
   76  accurate to the best of his or her knowledge.
   77         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.