Bill Text: NY A02092 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to requiring licensed slaughterhouses to have a closed circuit camera and television system in all areas with live animals; establishes a reporting requirement pursuant to inspections where a violation is found.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-15 - referred to agriculture [A02092 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A02092-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2092 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 15, 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 requir- ing licensed slaughterhouses to have closed circuit camera and tele- vision systems and establishing a reporting requirement pursuant to inspections where a violation is found The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 96-a of the agriculture and markets law, as amended 2 by chapter 573 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 96-a. Declaration of policy and purpose. Whereas unsanitary condi- 4 tions in the slaughtering of animals and fowl for food have been found 5 to exist in this state, and whereas such conditions endanger the health 6 and welfare of the people and animals and fowl of the state, it is here- 7 by declared to be a matter of legislative determination that the super- 8 vision of the slaughtering of animals and fowl is in the public inter- 9 est, and that this article is enacted in the exercise of the police 10 power of the state and its purposes are the protection of the public 11 health. 12 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 96-b of the agriculture and markets law, 13 as amended by chapter 395 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as 14 follows: 15 1. No person, firm, partnership or corporation not granted inspection 16 pursuant to the federal meat inspection act, the federal poultry 17 products inspection act, article five-B or article five-D of this chap- 18 ter shall operate any place or establishment where animals or fowls are 19 slaughtered or butchered for food unless such person, firm, partnership 20 or corporation be licensed by the commissioner. In addition to any other 21 requirements established by the commissioner, such license shall prohib- 22 it the slaughter or butchering by slaughterhouses of domesticated dog 23 and domesticated cat to create food, meat, meat by-products or meat food EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05852-01-5A. 2092 2 1 products for human or animal consumption. Such license shall require 2 any person, firm, partnership, or corporation that has a license pursu- 3 ant to this article to install and operate a closed circuit camera and 4 television system in all areas where live animals are present. Such 5 cameras shall be placed to ensure there is a complete and clear view of 6 all areas containing live animals. The commissioner and his or her 7 designees, the police and other law enforcement officers authorized to 8 enforce article twenty-six of this chapter or other laws pertaining to 9 the humane treatment of animals, cruelty to animals, or endangering the 10 life or health of animals, shall have unrestricted access to the footage 11 from such closed circuit camera and television systems. Recordings for 12 each day shall be retained by the licensee for at least six months 13 before it can be deleted. An application for license shall be made upon 14 a form prescribed by the commissioner on or before the first day of May 15 in every other year, for a two year license period commencing upon the 16 following first day of June. With the application there shall be paid a 17 license fee of two hundred dollars. 18 § 3. The opening paragraph of section 96-b of the agriculture and 19 markets law, as amended by section 2 of part I-1 of chapter 62 of the 20 laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows: 21 No person, firm, partnership or corporation not granted inspection 22 pursuant to the federal meat inspection act, the federal poultry 23 products inspection act, article five-B or article five-D of this chap- 24 ter shall operate any place or establishment where animals or fowls are 25 slaughtered or butchered for food unless such person, firm, partnership 26 or corporation be licensed by the commissioner. In addition to any other 27 requirements established by the commissioner, such license shall prohib- 28 it the slaughter or butchering by slaughterhouses of domesticated dog 29 and domesticated cat to create food, meat, meat by-products or meat food 30 products for human or animal consumption. Such license shall require 31 any person, firm, partnership, or corporation that has a license pursu- 32 ant to this article to install and operate a closed circuit camera and 33 television system in all areas where live animals are present. Such 34 cameras shall be placed to ensure there is a complete and clear view of 35 all areas containing live animals. The commissioner and his or her 36 designees, the police and other law enforcement officers authorized to 37 enforce article twenty-six of this chapter or other laws pertaining to 38 the humane treatment of animals, cruelty to animals, or endangering the 39 life or health of animals, shall have unrestricted access to the footage 40 from such closed circuit camera and television systems. Recordings for 41 each day shall be retained by the licensee for at least six months 42 before it can be deleted. An application for license shall be made upon 43 a form prescribed by the commissioner on or before the first day of May 44 in every other year, for a two year license period commencing upon the 45 following first day of June. With the application there shall be paid a 46 license fee of two hundred dollars. 47 § 4. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 48 section 96-f-1 to read as follows: 49 § 96-f-1. Mandatory reporting pursuant to inspection. Any authorized 50 person conducting an inspection of a slaughterhouse or reviewing closed 51 circuit camera footage as specified in section ninety-six-b of this 52 article shall, upon belief that article twenty-six of this chapter or 53 any other law pertaining to the humane treatment of animals, cruelty to 54 animals, or endangering the life or health of animals have been 55 violated, report the suspected violation to the local police department 56 and local society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or other lawA. 2092 3 1 enforcement officers authorized to enforce such laws. Oral reports shall 2 be followed by a written report within forty-eight hours of such oral 3 report, or as soon as is reasonably possible. 4 § 5. This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a 5 law, provided that the amendments to subdivision 1 of section 96-b of 6 the agriculture and markets law made by section two of this act shall be 7 subject to the expiration and reversion of such subdivision pursuant to 8 section 3 of chapter 395 of the laws of 2008, as amended, when upon such 9 date the provisions of section three of this act shall take effect. 10 Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule 11 or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec- 12 tive date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such 13 effective date.
