Establishes the research animal retirement act; requires research dogs and cats at higher education research facilities or facilities that provide research in collaboration with a higher education facility, to be offered for placement with non-profit animal rescue and shelter organizations; provides that such facilities may enter into agreements with rescue and shelter organizations for implementation.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8261A
SPONSOR: Rosenthal (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring research
dogs and cats at certain facilities to be offered for adoption through
private placement or a non-profit animal rescue and shelter organization
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation would adopt the gold standard in canine and feline
welfare by creating regulations pertaining to the treatment of dogs and
cats at the end of any research performed on these animals.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Title of the bill.
Section 2. "The Research Animal Retirement Act" amends the education law
by adding a new section 239-b by requiring publicly funded animal
research facilities to seek adoption for those animals not required to
be euthanized when testing is complete.
Section 3. Effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
State-funded research facilities (such as university laboratories) some-
times utilize dogs and cats for research. If the animals do not have to
be euthanized at the end of the tests for the sake of necropsy/cell and
tissue samples, these dogs and cats deserve a chance to be adopted out.
These labs should be required to make this effort.
Currently there are many laws covering the treatment of animals in labs
relating to food, pain management, bedding and enrichment devices. When
the research is complete it is up to the discretion of lab workers to
try to find homes for their canine and feline subjects. After all that
these animals have endured, they deserve the extra effort by the
research facility. This legislation would ensure that dog and cat test-
ing subjects be afforded the opportunity to live out their lives in
loving homes.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2013-2014: A 9900-A Referred to Higher Education, Amend (t) and Recommit
to Higher Education, Print Number 9900a
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
On the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8261--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 16, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, MOSLEY, SKOUFIS, TITONE, OTIS, GOTT-
FRIED, MILLER, MURRAY, DINOWITZ, ZEBROWSKI, GARBARINO, CURRAN, RA,
LAVINE, QUART, SEAWRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CERETTO,
ENGLEBRIGHT, GALEF, GLICK, LINARES, LOPEZ, LUPARDO, LUPINACCI, PERRY,
RIVERA, SCHIMEL, SIMON, SKARTADOS, TEDISCO, THIELE -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- recommitted to the
Committee on Higher Education 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 education law, in relation to requiring research
dogs and cats at certain facilities to be offered for adoption through
private placement or a non-profit animal rescue and shelter organiza-
tion
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Research animal retirement act".
3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 239-b to
4 read as follows:
5 § 239-b. Research dogs and cats. 1. A higher education research
6 facility that receives public money, including tax-exempt status, or a
7 facility that provides research in collaboration with a higher education
8 facility shall after the completion of any testing or research involving
9 a dog or cat, assess the health of the dog or cat and determine whether
10 it is suitable for adoption. Such facility shall thereafter make reason-
11 able efforts to offer for adoption the dog or cat determined to be suit-
12 able for adoption, either through private placement or through an animal
13 rescue and shelter organization, a duly incorporated society for the
14 prevention of cruelty to animals, a duly incorporated humane society, or
15 a duly incorporated animal protective association that operates physical
16 animal sheltering facilities and offers household pets to the public for
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02532-04-6
A. 8261--A 2
1 adoption by way of an established adoption program, prior to euthanizing
2 such dog or cat. Nothing in this section shall create a duty upon such
3 an organization, association or society to accept a dog or cat offered
4 by a higher education research facility for adoption.
5 2. A facility that is required to offer dogs or cats for adoption
6 under this section may enter into an agreement with an animal rescue and
7 shelter organization, a duly incorporated society for the prevention of
8 cruelty to animals, a duly incorporated humane society, or a duly incor-
9 porated animal protective association that operates physical animal
10 sheltering facilities and offers household pets to the public for
11 adoption by way of an established adoption program.
12 3. The attending or institutional veterinarian at a facility that is
13 required to offer dogs or cats for adoption under this section shall
14 have the authority to assess the health of an animal and determine
15 whether an animal is suitable for adoption.
16 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
17 have become a law.
