Bill Text: NY A01557 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits certain acts in rodeos; imposes penalties for the violation of such acts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-10 - referred to agriculture [A01557 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A01557-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1557

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 10, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, PAULIN, LAVINE, COLTON, SIMON, GLICK,
          SIMONE, WILLIAMS -- read once and referred to the Committee  on  Agri-
          culture

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
          prohibition of certain acts in rodeos

          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 352 to read as follows:
     3    § 352. Use of animals in rodeos. 1. For the purposes of this section:
     4    (a) "Calf roping" shall mean capturing a calf with a lasso and binding
     5  its feet or allowing it to run free.
     6    (b) "Electric prod" shall mean a handheld device used to  make  cattle
     7  or  other  livestock  move  by  striking or poking such animal with such
     8  device which shocks such animal with a high voltage, low  current  elec-
     9  tric shock.
    10    (c)  "Flank strap" or "bucking strap" shall mean a strap or rope which
    11  is tightly  cinched around the abdomen of a horse or bull  causing  such
    12  animal to buck.
    13    (d) "Person" shall mean any individual, partnership, limited liability
    14  company,  corporation,  joint venture, association, trust, estate or any
    15  other legal entity, and  any  officer,  member,  shareholder,  director,
    16  employee, agent or representative of any such  entity.
    17    (e)  "Rodeo"  shall  mean  a public exhibition in which skills such as
    18  riding bulls or broncos, or roping animals, are displayed.
    19    (f) "Spur with a fixed or sharpened rowel" shall  mean  a  sharp  prod
    20  fixed  to the heel of the rider of an animal which is used to enhance or
    21  increase the intensity of the bucking of the animal.
    22    2. No person in a rodeo shall:
    23    (a) engage in calf roping;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04090-01-5
        A. 1557                             2

     1    (b) use flank straps or bucking straps on horses,  bulls,  cattle,  or
     2  other livestock;
     3    (c)  use  electric prods on horses, bulls, cattle, or other livestock;
     4  or
     5    (d) use spurs with fixed or sharpened rowels on horses, bulls, cattle,
     6  or other livestock.
     7    3. (a) Any person that violates the provisions of this section, or any
     8  rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, may be assessed, by the
     9  commissioner, a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars  for
    10  each  such  violation.  Each  violation  and  each  day  during  which a
    11  violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.
    12    (b) Any person that violates the provisions  of  this  section,  shall
    13  have any permit or license to operate as a rodeo revoked.
    14    4.  Any  venue that hosts a rodeo that violates the provisions of this
    15  section, or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant  thereto,  shall
    16  lose its eligibility for any state tax abatements.
    17    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    18  have become a law.