NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6821

Senate Bill S6821

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Authorizes veterinarians to provide free veterinary care services to individuals in shelters to receive mandatory continuing education credit

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 25, 2025	referred to higher education

2025-S6821 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1945
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §6704-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7608, A7903

2025-S6821 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes veterinarians to provide free veterinary care services to individuals in shelters as self-instructional coursework to receive credit for their continuing education requirement.

2025-S6821 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6821

SPONSOR: GIANARIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing veterina-
rians to provide free veterinary care services to individuals in shel-
ters to receive mandatory continuing education credit

 
PURPOSE:

This bill authorizes veterinarians to provide free veterinary care
services to individuals in shelters to receive mandatory continuing
education credit.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section of the bill amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of § 6704-a of
the education law by adding a new subparagraph (iii) to allow veterina-
rians to satisfy a portion of their continuing education credit require-
ment by providing free veterinary care services for pets whose caretak-
ers live in temporary shelters.

Section of the bill sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Veterinarians are required to complete 45 hours of continuing education
every three years. In 2016, New York State passed legislation to allow
veterinarians to receive credit toward this requirement by providing
free spay and neuter services. Domestic violence survivors, people expe-
riencing homelessness and others in the shelter system depend on their
pets for support and companionship to get through difficult times, but
many do not have the resources to pay for veterinary care.

This legislation will permit veterinarians to receive credit for up to
three hours of their continuing education requirement by providing free
services to pets living with their caretakers in temporary shelters.
Such credit would accumulate at the rate of half an hour of continuing
education for each hour of free services. Incentivizing veterinarians to
provide free services to those in need will help keep pets healthy and
ensure their caretakers can continue to enjoy their companionship.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: S7608 (Gianaris) died in Higher Ed / A7903 (Rosenthal L) died
in higher ed

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2025-S6821 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6821
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 25, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. GIANARIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing  veterina-
   rians to provide free veterinary care services to individuals in shel-
   ters to receive mandatory continuing education credit

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of  section  6704-a  of  the
 education  law  is amended by adding a new subparagraph (iii) to read as
 follows:
   (III) SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL COURSEWORK MAY INCLUDE THE PROVISION OF  FREE
 VETERINARY  CARE  SERVICES  TO  INDIVIDUALS  RECEIVING TEMPORARY HOUSING
 ASSISTANCE, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A FAMILY SHELTER,
 A SHELTER FOR ADULTS, A HOTEL PROVIDING TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTER,  AN
 EMERGENCY APARTMENT, A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER, A RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS
 YOUTH SHELTER, OR A SAFE HOUSE FOR REFUGEES, PROVIDED THAT SUCH SERVICES
 BE  ADMINISTERED AT PRACTICES, FACILITIES AND PROPERTIES THAT ARE APPRO-
 PRIATELY EQUIPPED AND STAFFED TO PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES.  THE  DEPARTMENT
 MAY OFFSET UP TO THREE HOURS OF THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF HOURS OF CONTIN-
 UING  EDUCATION  REQUIRED  PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH, AT A RATE OF ONE-
 HALF OF ONE HOUR OF CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR EACH HOUR OF  FREE  VETERI-
 NARY CARE SERVICES.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00740-01-5

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