Bill Text: NY A07205 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Prohibits persons who have been convicted of animal cruelty from working at an animal shelter; makes such violation a class A misdemeanor.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to agriculture [A07205 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A07205-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        7205--A
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      May 7, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. PAULIN, GUNTHER, GALEF, MILLMAN, MOSLEY, WEISEN-
         BERG, ZEBROWSKI, ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.  COLTON,
         COOK, GABRYSZAK, SCHIMEL, SWEENEY, THIELE -- 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, in relation to limiting
         the right of a person who has violated certain animal cruelty statutes
         from working at an animal shelter
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 353-a of the agriculture and markets law is amended
    2  by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
    3    4.  NO PERSON WHO IS CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE
    4  ALLOWED TO ACCEPT OR REMAIN IN A POSITION  AS  A  DOG  CONTROL  OFFICER,
    5  ANIMAL  CONTROL  OFFICER,  OR  AS  A  PAID  EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER AT THE
    6  FOLLOWING TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENTS: AN ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCOR-
    7  PORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCORPORATED ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION,
    8  OR DULY INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY  TO  ANIMALS,
    9  ON  AND  AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION.  FOR THE PURPOSES
   10  OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE  TERM  "VOLUNTEER"  SHALL  NOT  INCLUDE  ANYONE
   11  REQUIRED  BY  COURT  ORDER TO FULFILL A COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT IN
   12  SERVICE AT ANY ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCORPORATED HUMANE  SOCIETY,
   13  DULY  INCORPORATED  ANIMAL  PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, OR DULY INCORPORATED
   14  SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.  ANY DOG CONTROL OFFI-
   15  CER, ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER OR  PAID  EMPLOYEE  OR  VOLUNTEER  FOUND  IN
   16  VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   17    S  2.  Section  353  of the agriculture and markets law, as amended by
   18  chapter 458 of the laws of 1985 and the opening paragraph as amended  by
   19  chapter 523 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
   20    S 353. Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide
   21  proper  sustenance.  1.  A person who overdrives, overloads, tortures or
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04880-08-3
       A. 7205--A                          2
    1  cruelly beats or unjustifiably injures, maims, mutilates  or  kills  any
    2  animal,  whether  wild  or  tame, and whether belonging to himself or to
    3  another, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, food or  drink,
    4  or  neglects or refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink, or caus-
    5  es, procures  or  permits  any  animal  to  be  overdriven,  overloaded,
    6  tortured, cruelly beaten, or unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated or
    7  killed,  or  to  be deprived of necessary food or drink, or who wilfully
    8  sets on foot, instigates, engages in, or in any way furthers any act  of
    9  cruelty  to  any  animal, or any act tending to produce such cruelty, is
   10  guilty of a class A misdemeanor and for purposes  of  paragraph  (b)  of
   11  subdivision  one  of section 160.10 of the criminal procedure law, shall
   12  be treated as a misdemeanor defined in the penal law.
   13    2. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prohibit  or  inter-
   14  fere with any properly conducted scientific tests, experiments or inves-
   15  tigations,  involving  the use of living animals, performed or conducted
   16  in laboratories or institutions, which are approved for  these  purposes
   17  by  the  state  commissioner of health. The state commissioner of health
   18  shall prescribe the rules under which such approvals shall  be  granted,
   19  including therein standards regarding the care and treatment of any such
   20  animals.  Such rules shall be published and copies thereof conspicuously
   21  posted in each such laboratory or institution. The state commissioner of
   22  health or his duly authorized representative shall  have  the  power  to
   23  inspect such laboratories or institutions to insure compliance with such
   24  rules  and  standards. Each such approval may be revoked at any time for
   25  failure to comply with such rules and in any case the approval shall  be
   26  limited to a period not exceeding one year.
   27    3.  NO PERSON WHO IS CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE
   28  ALLOWED TO ACCEPT OR REMAIN IN A POSITION  AS  A  DOG  CONTROL  OFFICER,
   29  ANIMAL  CONTROL  OFFICER,  OR  AS  A  PAID  EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER AT THE
   30  FOLLOWING TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENTS: AN ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCOR-
   31  PORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCORPORATED ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION,
   32  OR DULY INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY  TO  ANIMALS,
   33  ON  AND  AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION.  FOR THE PURPOSES
   34  OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE  TERM  "VOLUNTEER"  SHALL  NOT  INCLUDE  ANYONE
   35  REQUIRED  BY  COURT  ORDER TO FULFILL A COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT IN
   36  SERVICE AT ANY ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCORPORATED HUMANE  SOCIETY,
   37  DULY  INCORPORATED  ANIMAL  PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, OR DULY INCORPORATED
   38  SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.  ANY DOG CONTROL OFFI-
   39  CER, ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER OR  PAID  EMPLOYEE  OR  VOLUNTEER  FOUND  IN
   40  VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   41    S  3.  Section  351  of  the agriculture and markets law is amended by
   42  adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
   43    7. NO PERSON WHO IS CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL  BE
   44  ALLOWED  TO  ACCEPT  OR  REMAIN  IN A POSITION AS A DOG CONTROL OFFICER,
   45  ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER, OR AS  A  PAID  EMPLOYEE  OR  VOLUNTEER  AT  THE
   46  FOLLOWING TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENTS: AN ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCOR-
   47  PORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCORPORATED ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION,
   48  OR  DULY  INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS,
   49  ON AND AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION. FOR THE PURPOSES OF
   50  THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "VOLUNTEER" SHALL NOT INCLUDE ANYONE REQUIRED
   51  BY COURT ORDER TO FULFILL A COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT IN SERVICE  AT
   52  ANY ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCORPORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCOR-
   53  PORATED  ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, OR DULY INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR
   54  THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.  ANY DOG CONTROL  OFFICER,  ANIMAL
   55  CONTROL OFFICER OR PAID EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER FOUND IN VIOLATION OF THIS
   56  SUBDIVISION SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
       A. 7205--A                          3
    1    S  4.  Section  355  of the agriculture and markets law, as amended by
    2  chapter 458 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:
    3    S 355. Abandonment  of animals. 1. A person being the owner or posses-
    4  sor, or having charge or custody of an animal, who abandons such animal,
    5  or leaves it to die in a street, road or public  place,  or  who  allows
    6  such  animal,  if it become disabled, to lie in a public street, road or
    7  public place more than three hours after he receives notice that  it  is
    8  left  disabled,  is  guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment
    9  for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than  one  thousand
   10  dollars, or by both.
   11    2.  NO PERSON WHO IS CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE
   12  ALLOWED TO ACCEPT OR REMAIN IN A POSITION  AS  A  DOG  CONTROL  OFFICER,
   13  ANIMAL  CONTROL  OFFICER,  OR  AS  A  PAID  EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER AT THE
   14  FOLLOWING TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENTS: AN ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCOR-
   15  PORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCORPORATED ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION,
   16  OR DULY INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY  TO  ANIMALS,
   17  ON AND AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION. FOR THE PURPOSES OF
   18  THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "VOLUNTEER" SHALL NOT INCLUDE ANYONE REQUIRED
   19  BY  COURT ORDER TO FULFILL A COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT IN SERVICE AT
   20  ANY ANIMAL SHELTER, POUND, DULY INCORPORATED HUMANE SOCIETY, DULY INCOR-
   21  PORATED ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, OR DULY INCORPORATED SOCIETY  FOR
   22  THE  PREVENTION  OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.  ANY DOG CONTROL OFFICER, ANIMAL
   23  CONTROL OFFICER OR PAID EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER FOUND IN VIOLATION OF THIS
   24  SUBDIVISION SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   25    S 5. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
   26  have become a law.
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