Bill Text: NY A06158 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Creates an animal population control fund to fund the animal population control program which reduces the population of unwanted stray dogs and cats; encourages neutering of animals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to agriculture [A06158 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A06158-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 6158--A 2009-2010 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y February 26, 2009 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, KELLNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a New York city animal population control program and an animal population control fund; and to amend chapter 115 of the laws of 1894 relating to the better protection of lost and strayed animals and for securing the rights of owners thereof, in relation to licensing fees THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 107 of the agriculture and markets 2 law, as amended by chapter 473 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read 3 as follows: 4 1. This article shall apply to all areas of the state except any city 5 having a population of over two million [except that the provisions in 6 this article relating to the animal population control program shall be 7 applicable to the entire state]. 8 S 2. The administrative code of the city of New York is amended by 9 adding a new section 17-811 to read as follows: 10 S 17-811 ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 11 AND MENTAL HYGIENE SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH 12 AND IMPLEMENT AN ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM WITHIN ONE HUNDRED 13 TWENTY DAYS FROM THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS 14 PROGRAM SHALL BE TO REDUCE THE POPULATION OF UNWANTED STRAY DOGS AND 15 CATS THEREBY REDUCING POTENTIAL THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY AND 16 REDUCING THE COSTS OF CARING FOR THESE ANIMALS. THIS PROGRAM SHALL SEEK 17 TO ACCOMPLISH ITS PURPOSE BY ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF NEW 18 YORK WHO ARE THE OWNERS OF DOGS AND CATS TO HAVE THEM SPAYED OR NEUTERED 19 BY PROVIDING NO OR LOW-COST SPAYING AND NEUTERING SERVICES TO SUCH 20 OWNERS. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07076-06-9 A. 6158--A 2 1 TO ESTABLISH AN ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM INCLUDING, BUT NOT 2 LIMITED, TO CREATING CLINICS OR MOBILE UNITS WHERE SUCH SERVICES SHALL 3 BE PERFORMED AND ESTABLISHING CRITERIA FOR PET OWNER ELIGIBILITY TO USE 4 SUCH SERVICES. INDICIA OF ELIGIBILITY FOR PET OWNERS SEEKING NO OR 5 LOW-COST SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO 6 ANY CRITERIA DEEMED ACCEPTABLE BY THE AGENCIES PERFORMING THE SERVICES. 7 THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE MAY 8 SOLICIT AND ACCEPT FUNDS FROM THE ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FUND ESTAB- 9 LISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION 17-812 OF THIS CHAPTER AND ANY OTHER PUBLIC 10 OR PRIVATE SOURCE TO HELP CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. 11 S 3. The administrative code of the city of New York is amended by 12 adding a new section 17-812 to read as follows: 13 S 17-812 ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FUND. 1. THERE IS HEREBY ESTAB- 14 LISHED IN THE JOINT CUSTODY OF THE CITY COMPTROLLER AND COMMISSIONER OF 15 FINANCE A FUND TO BE KNOWN AS THE "ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FUND" WHICH 16 SHALL BE USED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO SUBSIDIZE THE CITY'S ANIMAL POPU- 17 LATION CONTROL PROGRAM AS ESTABLISHED BY SECTION 17-811 OF THIS CHAPTER. 18 2. SUCH FUND SHALL CONSIST OF ALL MONEYS COLLECTED FROM THE ANIMAL 19 POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION 17-811 OF 20 THIS CHAPTER AND SECTION THREE-A OF CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN OF THE 21 LAWS OF EIGHTEEN HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR, AND ALL OTHER MONEYS CREDITED OR 22 TRANSFERRED THERETO FROM ANY OTHER FUND OR SOURCE PURSUANT TO LAW. 23 3. MONEYS OF THE FUND SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT AND 24 SHALL BE EXPENDED FOR THE PURPOSES OF CARRYING OUT ANIMAL POPULATION 25 CONTROL PROGRAMS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 17-811 OF THIS 26 CHAPTER. MONEYS SHALL BE PAID OUT OF THE FUND ON THE AUDIT AND WARRANT 27 OF THE CITY COMPTROLLER AND APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPART- 28 MENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE. ANY INTEREST RECEIVED BY THE CITY 29 COMPTROLLER ON MONEYS ON DEPOSIT IN THE ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FUND 30 SHALL BE RETAINED IN AND BECOME PART OF SUCH FUND. 31 S 4. Section 3-a of chapter 115 of the laws of 1894 relating to the 32 better protection of lost and strayed animals and for securing the 33 rights of owners thereof, as amended by chapter 180 of the laws of 2002, 34 is amended to read as follows: 35 S 3-a. In addition to the fee charged pursuant to sections one and two 36 of this chapter, any person applying for a dog license shall pay a fee 37 of three dollars, OR SUCH GREATER AMOUNT AS DETERMINED BY THE CITY COUN- 38 CIL OR THE BOARD OF HEALTH IN THE CODE OF SUCH CITY, for any dog four 39 months of age or older which has not been spayed or neutered unless an 40 owner presents with the license application a statement certified by a 41 licensed veterinarian stating that he or she has examined the dog and 42 found that because of old age or other reasons, the life of the dog 43 would be endangered by spaying or neutering. All fees collected pursuant 44 to the provisions of this section shall be forwarded to the [state] CITY 45 comptroller for deposit in the animal population control fund created 46 pursuant to section [97-xx of the state finance law and section 117-a of 47 the agriculture and markets law] 17-812 OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OF 48 THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 49 S 5. Any unspent moneys collected in prior fiscal years attributable 50 to dog licensing fees in cities having a population of two million or 51 more and collected and deposited in the New York state animal population 52 control fund pursuant to section 97-xx of the state finance law shall be 53 transferred to and retained in the animal population control fund 54 created pursuant to section 17-812 of the administrative code of the 55 city of New York. 56 S 6. This act shall take effect immediately.