Assembly Bill A1415

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Designates rescue cats as the official state cat

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2021-A1415 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Governmental Operations
Law Section:
State Law
Laws Affected:
Add §79-a, State L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A8418
2013-2014: A891
2015-2016: A718
2017-2018: A4160
2019-2020: A948
2023-2024: A3789

2021-A1415 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Designates rescue cats as the official state cat; establishes that a rescue cat is a cat of any breed or mixture of breeds rescued and adopted from an animal shelter or rescue group located in the state.

2021-A1415 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1415
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 11, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, LUPARDO -- read once and referred
   to the Committee on Governmental Operations
 
 AN ACT to amend the state law, in relation to designating rescue cats as
   the official state cat
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1.  Legislative intent. Since their domestication some tens of
 thousands  of  years  ago,  cats and their human counterparts have lived
 happily side by side, each providing a lifetime of  love,  companionship
 and loyalty to the other. Early civilizations revered the cat as sacred,
 capable  of vanquishing evil spirits. Still others cherished the cat for
 its ability to protect property from insects and  vermin.  While  modern
 day cats may have lost some of their mythic stature, they certainly have
 not  lost  any  of their appeal. Cats have become the most popular house
 pet in the United States, with 90 million felines living in 34%  of  all
 households. There are few things as calming in this world as a curled-up
 cat meowing peacefully in one's lap.
   Cats  offer  their  humans  countless hours of companionship and love,
 provide protection against loneliness and depression, and  their  antics
 are  oftentimes  capable of bringing one to tears with laughter.  All of
 this they offer, and ask only for a loving caretaker  who  will  provide
 them shelter and food in return. Any cat owner will tell you that no one
 owns  a  cat,  but  despite  their  fearless independence, cats need our
 protection.
   The ASPCA estimates that there are roughly between 60 and 100  million
 stray or feral cats in the United States alone. Each year, an additional
 six  to  eight  million  animals enter the shelter system. Of those, one
 animal is euthanized every eight seconds, meaning that approximately 70%
 of all cats that enter the shelter system are euthanized.
   Legislation to name the "rescue cat" New York state's  official  state
 cat  will  help  educate and raise awareness about the plight of animals

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

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