Bill Text: NY S05532 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to the prohibition of declawing of cats; makes such violation punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-07-22 - SIGNED CHAP.107 [S05532 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S05532-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5532--B

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 6, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. GIANARIS, RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Domestic  Animal
          Welfare  --  committee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
          amended and recommitted to said  committee  --  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  prohib-
          iting the declawing of cats

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a  new
     2  section 381 to read as follows:
     3    §  381.  Prohibition  of  the  declawing  of  cats. 1. No person shall
     4  perform an onychectomy (declawing), partial or complete phalangectomy or
     5  tendonectomy procedure by any means on a cat within  the  state  of  New
     6  York,  except  when  necessary  for a therapeutic purpose.   Therapeutic
     7  purpose means the necessity to address the physical medical condition of
     8  the cat, such as an existing or recurring illness,  infection,  disease,
     9  injury  or  abnormal  condition  in  the claw that compromises the cat's
    10  health. Therapeutic purpose  does  not  include  cosmetic  or  aesthetic
    11  reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the cat.
    12    2. Any person who performs an onychectomy, partial or complete phalan-
    13  gectomy  or  tendonectomy  procedure  on any cat within the state of New
    14  York in violation of the provisions of subdivision one of  this  section
    15  shall  be  punishable  by  a  civil  penalty  not to exceed one thousand
    16  dollars.
    17    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06056-04-9