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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
98--A
Cal. No. 919
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 7, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sens. BOYLE, AVELLA, FUNKE, KRUEGER, MURPHY, ROBACH, SAVI-
NO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed
to the Committee on Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee
on Higher Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second
report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted,
retaining its place in the order of third reading
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
17 adoption by way of an established adoption program, prior to euthanizing
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02532-05-6
S. 98--A 2
1 such dog or cat. Nothing in this section shall create a duty upon such
2 an organization, association or society to accept a dog or cat offered
3 by a higher education research facility for adoption.
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.
11 3. The attending or institutional veterinarian at a facility that is
12 required to offer dogs or cats for adoption under this section shall
13 have the authority to assess the health of an animal and determine
14 whether an animal is suitable for adoption.
15 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
16 have become a law.