Bill Text: NY S01555 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts "Sir Henry's law" to require the informed consent of the owner of a companion animal prior to euthanizing such animal.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S01555 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S01555-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1555
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to informed
          consent of owners for euthanasia of a pet
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
     2  "Sir Henry's law".
     3    § 2. The agriculture and markets  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     4  section 353-g to read as follows:
     5    §  353-g.  Humane  euthanasia  of  companion  animals;  owner informed
     6  consent. 1. Prior to the humane euthanasia of a companion  animal  which
     7  is  not lost, strayed, homeless or abandoned, the veterinarian, who will
     8  perform such procedure upon the animal, shall explain to  the  companion
     9  animal  owner, who grants consent to having the companion animal euthan-
    10  ized, in a truthful and easy to understand manner:
    11    (a) the various methods which can be utilized  to  humanely  euthanize
    12  the companion animal;
    13    (b) the benefits and risks of each such method;
    14    (c) the negative impacts upon the animal of each such method;
    15    (d)  the alternative method of humane euthanasia to be utilized if the
    16  preferred method cannot be humanely utilized, and the  negative  impacts
    17  and risks of the alternative method; and
    18    (e)  fully  answer  any  questions the companion animal owner has with
    19  regard to euthanizing the owner's pet.
    20    2. No companion animal which is not lost, strayed, homeless  or  aban-
    21  doned  shall be euthanized by means of intracardiac injection unless the
    22  animal is heavily sedated, anesthetized or comatose. However, a licensed
    23  veterinarian may  perform  euthanasia  by  intracardiac  injection  upon
    24  animals that are not heavily sedated, anesthetized or comatose only when
    25  such  licensed  veterinarian determines that such intracardiac injection
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03173-01-9
        S. 1555                             2
     1  is the most humane option available. Whenever  a  cardiac  injection  is
     2  administered by a licensed veterinarian upon an animal that is not heav-
     3  ily sedated, anesthetized or comatose, such veterinarian shall document,
     4  in  writing, the administration of such injection and the reason for its
     5  administration. Such documentation shall be retained for at least  three
     6  years.
     7    3.  The  owner of a companion animal that is humanely euthanized shall
     8  be allowed to remain with his or her pet during the  entire  process  of
     9  euthanasia, including when death is confirmed.
    10    4.  Both the veterinarian, who humanely euthanizes a companion animal,
    11  and the owner of such animal shall  sign  a  form,  established  by  the
    12  department,  stating that the provisions of this section have been fully
    13  complied with, that all humane euthanasia methods have  been  considered
    14  and explained, and all questions relating to the euthanasia process have
    15  been answered to the owner's satisfaction.
    16    5.  The  department may promulgate any rules and regulations necessary
    17  to implement the provisions of this section.
    18    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
    19  ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,
    20  any  actions  necessary  to  implement the provisions of this act on its
    21  effective date are authorized and directed to be completed on or  before
    22  such date.