NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3505A
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring higher
education research facilities to make available certain information
regarding the adoption of dogs or cats
PURPOSE:
To ensure dogs and cats from research facilities are being offered for
adoption, as required by Chapter 240 of the Laws of 2016.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends subdivision 2 of section 239-b of the education law
and adds new subdivision 4.
Section two sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2016, the "Beagle Freedom" bill was enacted to require research
facilities in New York State to offer healthy dogs and cats for adoption
after completion of any testing or research that was performed on them.
This law provides dogs and cats a chance to be placed in a loving home
when their time in the lab is over. However, the law does not provide a
mechanism for the showcasing of animals that are available for adoption,
making it difficult for families looking to adopt to locate a dog or cat
from a research facility. This legislation will require research facil-
ities to make certain information about their adoption efforts available
to the public, including information about the adoption process and a
list of organizations, societies, and associations to which eligible
dogs and cats have been released.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A.636 - Referred to Higher Education
2019-20: A.9137 - Referred to Higher Education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
60 days.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3505--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring higher
education research facilities to make available certain information
regarding the adoption of dogs or cats
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 239-b of the education law, as
2 added by chapter 240 of the laws of 2016, is amended and a new subdivi-
3 sion 4 is added to read as follows:
4 2. A facility that is required to offer dogs or cats for adoption
5 under this section may enter into an agreement with an animal rescue and
6 shelter organization, a duly incorporated society for the prevention of
7 cruelty to animals, a duly incorporated humane society, or a duly incor-
8 porated animal protective association that operates physical animal
9 sheltering facilities and offers household pets to the public for
10 adoption by way of an established adoption program[.], that is exempt
11 from taxes pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of section 501 of
12 the federal Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 501, or any subsequent
13 corresponding sections of the federal Internal Revenue Code, as from
14 time to time amended.
15 4. A facility that is required to offer dogs or cats for adoption
16 under this section shall make available on the facility's website:
17 (a) an adoption policy that details the specific steps that such
18 facility takes to provide for the adoption of a dog or cat deemed suit-
19 able for adoption pursuant to subdivision three of this section; and
20 (b) beginning January first, two thousand twenty-four, a report that
21 shall include, but not be limited to, the following information for the
22 preceding year:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06677-03-3
A. 3505--A 2
1 (i) the total number of dogs and cats the facility released for
2 adoption through private placement;
3 (ii) the total number of dogs and cats the facility released for
4 adoption to an animal rescue and shelter organization, a duly incorpo-
5 rated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, a duly incorpo-
6 rated humane society, or a duly incorporated animal protective associ-
7 ation that operates physical animal sheltering facilities and offers
8 household pets to the public for adoption by way of an established
9 adoption program; and
10 (iii) a list of all such organizations, societies and associations to
11 which a dog or cat was released by such facility for adoption.
12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
13 have become a law.
