BILL NUMBER: S3411

SPONSOR: MARTINEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in
relation to requiring certain animal shelters to prepare annual reports
on the number of animal intakes and dispositions

 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in
relation to requiring certain animal shelters to prepare annual reports
on the number of animal intakes and dispositions

 
PURPOSE:

To promote better care of animals placed in shelters by requiring great-
er transparency on the part of state funded animal shelters with regard
to both the intake and disposition of animals.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new
              

section 374-a which provides that any animal shelter that receives state
funding shall prepare an annual report by January first of each year.
Such annual report shall include the number of animal intakes, includ-
ing, but not limited to animals that were surrendered by owners; were
brought in by animal control, specifying from which jurisdiction; and
were brought in as strays by someone other than the animal's owner. The
report shall also include the number of animal dispositions, including,
but not limited to animals that were adopted; were released to owners,
or were transferred to other facilities, specifying the facility. The
report shall include the number of animals that have died, specifying
the reason for death, including deaths by euthanasia and the reasons for
such euthanasia deaths. Each shelter that maintains a website, shall
post a notice on its website stating that its report is available to be
viewed by the public, and shall maintain each annual report for three
years. Each animal shelter shall maintain at least one printed copy of
their annual report to be viewed by the Public on site upon request.

Section two provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

As with most organizations that receive public funding, animal shelters
that receive state funding are accountable to the public.  The number of
animals that are cared for by each shelter and the source of the animals
are of interest to the public. The disposition of such animals is of
equal interest, and an important indicator of the quality of and commit-
ment to the rescue and care of animals. By requiring shelters that
receive state funding to reveal certain specified information in the
form of an annual report, this legislation will promote transparency and
accountability, which in turn may lead to improved animal care and more
favorable dispositions. The financial burden to the shelters is minimal
when balanced against the potential for great gains in the quality of
shelter practices.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal cast to state funded animal shelters to produce annual reports.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
02/06/17 referred to agriculture
01/03/18 referred to agriculture

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however that animal
shelters subject to this act shall have completed their first annual
report no later than January 1, 2020.