Bill Text: NY S00250 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Includes wildlife animals as those subject to the animal cruelty provisions of the agriculture and markets law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S00250 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00250-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           250

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture

        AN  ACT  to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to aggra-
          vated cruelty to animals

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

     1    Section  1.  Subdivisions  1 and 2 of section 353-a of the agriculture
     2  and markets law, as added by chapter  118  of  the  laws  of  1999,  are
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    1.  A  person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals when, with no
     5  justifiable purpose, [he or she]  such  person  intentionally  kills  or
     6  intentionally  causes  serious  physical injury to a companion animal or
     7  wildlife, as defined in subdivision six of section 11-0103 of the  envi-
     8  ronmental conservation law, other than insects, with aggravated cruelty.
     9  For  purposes  of  this section, "aggravated cruelty" shall mean conduct
    10  which:  (i) is intended to cause extreme physical pain; or (ii) is  done
    11  or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner.
    12    2. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit or
    13  interfere  in any way with anyone lawfully engaged in hunting, trapping,
    14  [or] fishing, or taking as provided in article eleven  of  the  environ-
    15  mental  conservation  law,  activities  deemed  to be sound agricultural
    16  practices pursuant to section three hundred eight of  this  chapter,  or
    17  reasonable  activities  for  the  purpose  of  managing pests that is in
    18  accordance with federal, state, and  local  laws  and  regulations,  the
    19  dispatch of rabid or diseased animals, as provided in article twenty-one
    20  of  the public health law, or the dispatch of animals posing a threat to
    21  human safety or other animals, where such action  is  otherwise  legally
    22  authorized,  or any properly conducted scientific tests, experiments, or
    23  investigations  involving  the  use  of  living  animals,  performed  or
    24  conducted  in laboratories or institutions approved for such purposes by

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00637-01-5
        S. 250                              2

     1  the commissioner of health pursuant to section three hundred fifty-three
     2  of this article.
     3    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     4  have become a law.