Bill Text: MS SB2538 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: County-owned and municipality-owned animal shelters; require to spay or neuter cats and dogs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2020-03-03 - Died In Committee [SB2538 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2020-SB2538-Introduced.html

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MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2020 Regular Session

To: County Affairs; Municipalities

By: Senator(s) Blackwell

Senate Bill 2538

AN ACT TO REQUIRE COUNTY-OWNED AND MUNICIPALITY-OWNED ANIMAL  SHELTERS TO SPAY OR NEUTER ALL HARBORED CATS AND DOGS; TO REQUIRE THE SAME ANIMAL SHELTERS TO SEPARATELY CONFINE A HARBORED FEMALE CAT OR DOG WHILE THE ANIMAL IS IN HEAT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

     SECTION 1.  (1)  As used in this act, the following words and terms have the following meanings, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

          (a)  "Animal shelter" means a facility owned by a county or municipality used for the care and custody of seized, stray, homeless, quarantined, abandoned, or unwanted cats, dogs or other small domestic animals.

          (b)  "Cat" means any Felis catus six (6) months of age or older.

          (c)  "Dog" means any Canis lupus familiaris six (6) months of age or older.

     (2)  An animal shelter shall spay or neuter all cats and dogs in its custody unless a veterinarian has certified in writing that it would be in a cat's or dog's best medical interest to delay the procedure until the cat or dog is nine (9) months old.

     (3)  An animal shelter harboring any female cat or dog shall, during the period that the animal is in heat, keep it securely confined and enclosed within an individual room or cage except when out upon the animal shelter's premises briefly for toilet purposes while on leash or otherwise effectively physically restrained. For the purposes of this section, the term "briefly for toilet purposes" shall consist of a maximum time of fifteen (15) minutes on each separate occasion.

     (4)  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2020.