Bill Text: NY A00948 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designates rescue cats as the official state cat; establishes that a rescue cat is a cat of any breed or mixture of breeds rescued and adopted from an animal shelter or rescue group located in the state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to governmental operations [A00948 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00948-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           948
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, LUPARDO -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Governmental Operations
        AN ACT to amend the state law, in relation to designating rescue cats as
          the official state cat
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1.  Legislative intent. Since their domestication some tens of
     2  thousands  of  years  ago,  cats and their human counterparts have lived
     3  happily side by side, each providing a lifetime of  love,  companionship
     4  and loyalty to the other. Early civilizations revered the cat as sacred,
     5  capable  of vanquishing evil spirits. Still others cherished the cat for
     6  its ability to protect property from insects and  vermin.  While  modern
     7  day cats may have lost some of their mythic stature, they certainly have
     8  not  lost  any  of their appeal. Cats have become the most popular house
     9  pet in the United States, with 90 million felines living in 34%  of  all
    10  households. There are few things as calming in this world as a curled-up
    11  cat meowing peacefully in one's lap.
    12    Cats  offer  their  humans  countless hours of companionship and love,
    13  provide protection against loneliness and depression, and  their  antics
    14  are  oftentimes  capable of bringing one to tears with laughter.  All of
    15  this they offer, and ask only for a loving caretaker  who  will  provide
    16  them shelter and food in return. Any cat owner will tell you that no one
    17  owns  a  cat,  but  despite  their  fearless independence, cats need our
    18  protection.
    19    The ASPCA estimates that there are roughly between 60 and 100  million
    20  stray or feral cats in the United States alone. Each year, an additional
    21  six  to  eight  million  animals enter the shelter system. Of those, one
    22  animal is euthanized every eight seconds, meaning that approximately 70%
    23  of all cats that enter the shelter system are euthanized.
    24    Legislation to name the "rescue cat" New York state's  official  state
    25  cat  will  help  educate and raise awareness about the plight of animals
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03133-01-9
        A. 948                              2
     1  that enter the shelter system. These animals, most of which are given up
     2  through no fault of their own, are perceived as  "damaged".  As  shelter
     3  populations soar, these innocent animals face an ever-increasing risk of
     4  euthanasia.
     5    These  deaths  can  be  prevented  through  adoption.  Rescue cats are
     6  desperate for a second chance, and want  nothing  more  than  to  become
     7  loving members of the family. Designating the rescue cat as the official
     8  cat  of  New York state will help prevent the senseless killing of thou-
     9  sands of cats each year by raising awareness of the overpopulation prob-
    10  lem and promoting adoption through education and awareness.
    11    § 2.  The state law is amended by adding a new section 79-a to read as
    12  follows:
    13    § 79-a. State cat. The rescue cat shall be the  official  cat  of  the
    14  state of New York. As used in this section "rescue cat" shall mean a cat
    15  of  any  breed  or  mixture of breeds rescued and adopted from an animal
    16  shelter or rescue group located in the state.
    17    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.