Bill Text: NY A00664 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits a person convicted of "Buster's Law" from owning or possessing a companion animal unless authorized by court order, after appropriate psychiatric or psychological testing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - referred to agriculture [A00664 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A00664-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           664

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. ROSENTHAL, COLTON -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Agriculture

        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to limiting
          the ownership or possession of companion animals by persons  convicted
          of violating "Buster's Law"

          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. On and after the effective date of this subdivision, no person  who
     4  is  convicted  of  a  violation  of  this section shall own or possess a
     5  companion animal unless and until authorized by a court order issued  by
     6  a county court judge of such convicted person's county of residence.  No
     7  such  order  shall  be  issued  until such convicted person first demon-
     8  strates to the court that such convicted person has undergone  psychiat-
     9  ric or psychological testing, the results of which indicate by clear and
    10  convincing  evidence of such convicted person's capable and sound mental
    11  capacity and ability to own and properly care for such an  animal  in  a
    12  humane manner.
    13    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    14  have become a law.




         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02633-02-5