Assembly Bill A5861

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  5861

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              March 5, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH, COLTON, RIVERA, LUPARDO, TITONE, PERRY,
  THIELE  -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CLARK, FINCH, MARKEY, McKEV-
  ITT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to classroom  instruction
  in  the humane treatment of animals and the requirement of training in
  the humane treatment of animals for the certification or licensing  of
  classroom  teachers,  teaching  assistants,  pupil  personnel  service
  professionals, school administrators or supervisors or superintendents
  of schools

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of  section  809 of the education law, as
amended by chapter 542 of the laws  of  1994,  is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  1.  The  officer,  board  or  commission  authorized  or  required  to
prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given  in
every elementary school under state control or supported wholly or part-
ly  by public money of the state, in the humane treatment and protection
of animals and the importance of the part they play in  the  economy  of
nature  as  well  as  the  necessity of controlling the proliferation of
animals which are subsequently abandoned and caused  to  suffer  extreme
cruelty.  Such  instruction shall be for such period of time during each
school year as the board of regents may prescribe and may be joined with
work in literature, reading, language, nature study or  ethnology.  Such
weekly instruction may be divided into two or more periods.  THE COMMIS-
SIONER  SHALL NOTIFY EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE
SUCH INSTRUCTION AND SHALL DIRECT EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ACT IN ACCORD-
ANCE WITH THIS REQUIREMENT. A school district shall not be  entitled  to
participate  in  the public school money on account of any school or the
attendance at any school subject to the provisions of this  section,  if
the instruction required hereby is not given therein.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD04529-01-5
              

A. 5861                             2

  S  2.  Subdivision 6 of section 809 of the education law is renumbered
subdivision 7 and a new subdivision 6 is added to read as follows:
  6.  TO  THE  EXTENT MONEYS ARE APPROPRIATED THEREFOR, THE COMMISSIONER
SHALL PROVIDE GRANTS TO TEACHERS FOR ANY EXPENSES INCURRED FOR TRAINING,
WORKSHOPS, TRAINING VIDEOS, WEBCASTS AND ANY OTHER RESOURCES  WHICH  ARE
USED FOR THE PURPOSES OF COMPLYING WITH THIS SECTION.
  S  3.  Section  3004  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 3-a to read as follows:
  3-A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PRESCRIBE REGULATIONS REQUIRING  THAT  ALL
PERSONS  APPLYING  ON  OR AFTER THE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTIETH DAY AFTER THIS
SUBDIVISION TAKES EFFECT FOR A TEACHING CERTIFICATE OR LICENSE,  INCLUD-
ING  BUT  NOT LIMITED TO A CERTIFICATE OR LICENSE VALID FOR SERVICE AS A
CLASSROOM TEACHER, TEACHING ASSISTANT, PUPIL PERSONNEL  SERVICE  PROFES-
SIONAL, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR OR SUPERVISOR OR SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS,
SHALL,  IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING REQUIRE-
MENTS, HAVE COMPLETED TWO HOURS OF COURSE WORK OR TRAINING  IN  INSTRUC-
TION  IN  THE  HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS AND THE PREVENTION AND INTER-
VENTION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY. THE COURSE WORK OR TRAINING SHALL BE OBTAINED
FROM AN INSTITUTION OR PROVIDER WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED BY  THE  DEPART-
MENT TO PROVIDE SUCH COURSE WORK OR TRAINING. SUCH COURSE WORK OR TRAIN-
ING  MAY  BE  PROVIDED  BY  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS,
BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, HUMANE  EDUCATION  ORGANIZA-
TIONS  OR  ANIMAL  WELFARE  ORGANIZATIONS.  SUCH  REGULATIONS SHALL ALSO
REQUIRE THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS  AND  BOARDS  OF  COOPERATIVE  EDUCATIONAL
SERVICES  INCLUDE  TRAINING FOR TEACHERS AND OTHER CERTIFIED OR LICENSED
EMPLOYEES IN THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF  ANIMALS  AND  THE  PREVENTION  AND
INTERVENTION  OF ANIMAL CRUELTY, IN THEIR REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP-
MENT PLANS.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.