S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  1679

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 12, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ZEBROWSKI, MILLER, ARROYO, DINOWITZ, TITONE,
  PAULIN, COLTON, RIVERA, SCARBOROUGH,  ENGLEBRIGHT,  GUNTHER,  SIMOTAS,
  LAVINE,  GALEF,  CUSICK,  BRONSON,  MOYA,  ROSENTHAL,  GLICK,  CAMARA,
  CAHILL, BENEDETTO, ROBERTS, HOOPER, DenDEKKER, WEPRIN, KAVANAGH, BRIN-
  DISI, OTIS, ORTIZ -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  BRENNAN, CERETTO,
  CURRAN, FINCH, GIGLIO, GOTTFRIED, HIKIND, KOLB, LUPARDO,  MALLIOTAKIS,
  McDONALD,  McDONOUGH,  McKEVITT, MOSLEY, PERRY, QUART, RAIA, SALADINO,
  SCHIMEL, SOLAGES, TEDISCO, TENNEY, THIELE, WALKER  --  read  once  and
  referred to the Committee on Agriculture

AN  ACT  to  amend  the  agriculture  and  markets  law,  in relation to
  restricting the performance of surgical devocalization  procedures  on
  dogs and cats

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

  Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a  new
section 365-a to read as follows:
  S  365-A.  DEVOCALIZATION  OF  ANIMALS. 1. NO PERSON SHALL PERFORM THE
SURGICAL DEVOCALIZATION OF A DOG OR CAT EXCEPT IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
  2.  A. SURGICAL DEVOCALIZATION OF A DOG OR CAT SHALL BE PERFORMED ONLY
BY A  PERSON  LICENSED  AS  A  VETERINARIAN  IN  THIS  STATE  UNDER  THE
PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
  B.  SURGICAL DEVOCALIZATION OF A DOG OR CAT MAY BE PERFORMED ONLY WHEN
THE PROCEDURE IS MEDICALLY NECESSARY TO  TREAT  OR  RELIEVE  A  PHYSICAL
ILLNESS,  DISEASE OR INJURY OR CORRECT A CONGENITAL ABNORMALITY SUFFERED
BY THE ANIMAL, WHICH PHYSICAL ILLNESS,  DISEASE,  INJURY  OR  CONGENITAL
ABNORMALITY  IS CAUSING OR MAY REASONABLY CAUSE THE ANIMAL PHYSICAL PAIN
OR HARM.
  3. A. ANY PERSON WHO PERFORMS A SURGICAL DEVOCALIZATION PROCEDURE ON A
DOG OR CAT SHALL INCLUDE INFORMATION RELATED TO THE PROCEDURE  INCLUDING

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD00005-01-5

              

A. 1679                             2

THE  MEDICAL  NECESSITY  IN  THE ANIMAL'S TREATMENT RECORD AS DEFINED IN
SECTION SIXTY-SEVEN HUNDRED FOURTEEN OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
  B.  ANY PERSON WHO PERFORMS A DEVOCALIZATION PROCEDURE ON A DOG OR CAT
SHALL REPORT THE NUMBER IN THE AGGREGATE OF ALL SUCH PROCEDURES  TO  THE
COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  ANNUALLY  ON OR BEFORE MARCH THIRTIETH. THE
DEPARTMENT SHALL MAINTAIN ALL NOTICES RECEIVED  UNDER  THIS  SUBDIVISION
FOR FOUR YEARS FROM THE DATE OF RECEIPT.
  4.  AS  USED IN THIS SECTION, "DEVOCALIZATION" MEANS A SURGICAL PROCE-
DURE ON THE LARYNX OR VOCAL CORDS OF AN ANIMAL  INTENDED  TO  CAUSE  THE
REDUCTION  OR  ELIMINATION  OF  VOCAL SOUNDS PRODUCED BY THAT ANIMAL AND
INCLUDES PROCEDURES COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS "DEBARKING", "SILENCING"  OR
"BARK SOFTENING".
  5.  A.  ANY  PERSON  WHO KNOWINGLY PERFORMS, OR KNOWINGLY CAUSES TO BE
PERFORMED, THE SURGICAL DEVOCALIZATION OF A DOG OR CAT IN  VIOLATION  OF
THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE GUILTY OF A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR
PUNISHABLE BY IMPRISONMENT FOR A PERIOD OF NOT MORE THAN NINETY DAYS  OR
BY  A  FINE  NOT TO EXCEED FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR BY BOTH SUCH FINE AND
IMPRISONMENT.
  B. ANY VETERINARIAN WHO KNOWINGLY PERFORMS A  SURGICAL  DEVOCALIZATION
PROCEDURE  IN  VIOLATION  OF  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS SECTION SHALL BE
SUBJECT TO THE REVOCATION OR SUSPENSION OF HIS OR HER  LICENSE  PURSUANT
TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
  S  2.  Paragraph  a of subdivision 8 of section 374 of the agriculture
and markets law, as amended by chapter 594 of the laws of 2003 and  such
subdivision as renumbered by chapter 479 of the laws of 2009, is amended
to read as follows:
  a.  In  addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction
for any violation of section  three  hundred  fifty-one,  three  hundred
fifty-three,  three  hundred fifty-three-a, three hundred fifty-three-b,
three hundred fifty-five, three hundred fifty-six, three hundred  fifty-
nine,  three  hundred  sixty,  three  hundred  sixty-one,  three hundred
sixty-five, THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE-A or three hundred  sixty-eight  of
this article, the convicted person may, after a duly held hearing pursu-
ant  to  paragraph  f  of  this  subdivision, be ordered by the court to
forfeit, to a duly incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to
animals or a duly incorporated humane society or authorized agents ther-
eof, the animal or animals which are the basis of the  conviction.  Upon
such  an  order  of  forfeiture, the convicted person shall be deemed to
have relinquished all rights to the animals which are the basis  of  the
conviction, except those granted in paragraph d of this subdivision.
  S  3. The commissioner of agriculture and markets and the commissioner
of education are authorized and directed to promulgate and implement all
rules, regulations and standards they  respectively  deem  necessary  to
enforce  the  provisions  of this act on or before the effective date of
this act.
  S 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
have become a law.