NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6239A
SPONSOR: Weprin TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
recovery of a deceased dog or cat on public roads
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of the bill is to require municipal and state officials to
make a reasonable attempt to identify any indica of ownership on a
deceased dog or cat they may find.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill would require municipal and state officials to make a reason-
able attempt to identify any indica of ownership on a deceased dog or
cat they may find and notify the owner or animal management officials of
the owner's death.
JUSTIFICATION:
Annually thousands of pets are killed in traffic in New York State.
Their bodies maybe disposed of at landfills by highway departments with-
out any notice to the families regardless of whether the pet has an
identifying chip or collar.
This bill will require state and municipal officials make a reasonable
effort to detect the ownership of a dog or cat and then make a reason-
able effort to provide notification to the owner or animal management
officials concerning the animal's death.
This law will create an opportunity to bring closure to the grief and
agony felt by many families whose companion animal is "simply missing"
one day and who suffer this loss not know what happened to their beloved
family member.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
02/08/17 referred to agriculture
01/03/18 referred to agriculture
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect one hundred and eighty days after it shall
become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6239--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN, BUTTENSCHON -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Agriculture -- recommitted to the Committee on Agri-
culture in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
recovery of a deceased dog or cat on public roads
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 377-b to read as follows:
3 § 377-b. Recovery of a deceased dog or cat on public roads. Any state
4 or municipal official that recovers the body of a dog or cat killed on a
5 public road shall make a reasonable effort to detect indicia of owner-
6 ship, such as tags, license numbers, or other such identifiers on or
7 about the animal and shall make a reasonable effort to notify the owner
8 or an animal management service concerning the animal's death.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
10 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09575-02-4
