Bill Text: NY A00796 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits the declawing and descenting of ferrets except when necessary for a therapeutic purpose and performed by a licensed veterinarian.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - referred to agriculture [A00796 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A00796-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           796

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

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

        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to  prohib-
          iting the declawing and descenting of ferrets

          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 387 to read as follows:
     3    §  387. Prohibition of the declawing and descenting of ferrets. 1. For
     4  the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the follow-
     5  ing meanings:
     6    (a) "Ferret" shall mean the domestic species Mustela furo.
     7    (b) "Declawing" shall mean a procedure, such as an onychectomy, tendo-
     8  nectomy or phalangectomy, to remove or prevent the  normal  function  of
     9  the claws of a ferret.
    10    (c) "Descenting" shall mean a procedure involving the surgical removal
    11  or destruction of the anal glands of a ferret.
    12    (d)  "Therapeutic  purpose"  shall  mean  the necessity to address the
    13  physical medical condition of a ferret, such as an existing or recurring
    14  illness, infection, disease, injury or abnormal condition in the claw or
    15  anal glands that compromises such ferret's health.  Therapeutic  purpose
    16  shall  not  include  cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of conven-
    17  ience in keeping or handling such ferret.
    18    2. No person shall perform a declawing or a  descenting  procedure  by
    19  any  means  on a ferret within the state of New York, except when neces-
    20  sary for a therapeutic purpose and performed by a licensed veterinarian.
    21    3. Any person who performs a declawing or descenting procedure on  any
    22  ferret in the state of New York in violation of the provisions of subdi-
    23  vision two of this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty not to
    24  exceed one thousand dollars.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02680-01-5