Assembly Bill A798

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    798
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROSENTHAL,  COLTON, STERN, DINOWITZ, SIMONE,
   KELLES, DAVILA, EPSTEIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  GLICK  --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to expanding the require-
   ments  for  teaching humane education to secondary school students and
   provides for the verification of compliance of such instruction
 
   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.  A.  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.
   B.  THE  OFFICER,  BOARD,  OR  COMMISSION  AUTHORIZED  OR  REQUIRED TO
 PRESCRIBE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION SHALL CAUSE INSTRUCTION TO BE GIVEN  IN
 EVERY SECONDARY SCHOOL UNDER STATE CONTROL OR SUPPORTED WHOLLY OR PARTLY
 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 INCLUDE EDUCATING STUDENTS ON THE PRIN-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02615-01-5
 A. 798                              2
 
 CIPLES OF KINDNESS TO AND RESPECT FOR ANIMALS AND OBSERVANCE OF LAWS AND
 RULES  PERTAINING  TO  THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS. THE COMMISSIONER
 SHALL DETERMINE HOW TO INCORPORATE SUCH INSTRUCTION IN EXISTING  CURRIC-
 ULA  AND  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PROMULGATE ANY REGULATIONS NEEDED TO
 CARRY OUT SUCH DETERMINATION.
   C. 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] PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION is not given therein.
   §  2.    Section  809  of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 7 to read as follows:
   7. COMPLIANCE RECORDS. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL MAINTAIN RECORDS VERIFY-
 ING SCHOOL COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION AND SHALL MAKE
 SUCH INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING ON ITS WEBSITE.
   § 3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
 addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized
 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.