NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1557
SPONSOR: Rosenthal TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
prohibition of certain acts in rodeos
PURPOSE:
This legislation will prohibit cruel acts in rodeos.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new
section 352.
Section two sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
While New York State has limited the use of animals in circuses and
other entertainment, rodeos have been left unregulated despite the
display of similar, and in many cases more egregious, acts of cruelty.
Rodeos typically include an event called "calf roping" where baby calves
are shocked with electric prods, forcing them to run as soon as the
holding chute opens, only to be "clotheslined" with a rope and tied at
the legs. Panicked calves are routinely injured or killed during these
performances.
Rodeos also continue to use flank straps or bucking straps, which are
tightly fastened around the animal's abdomen and may be used with sharp-
ened spurs to cause pain to the animal, encouraging them to buck more
violently.
Rodeos are responsible for causing death or serious injury to countless
animals, all for the sole purpose of entertainment and showmanship. This
legislation would protect animals from suffering such fate by prohibit-
ing rodeos that include calf roping, the use of flank straps or bucking
straps, electric prods, and sharpened spurs.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.575 - Referred to Agriculture
2021-22: A.2124 - Referred to Agriculture
2019-20: A.8554 - Referred to Agriculture; S.7971 - Referred to Domestic
Animal Welfare
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect in 30 days.
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.
