NY State Senate Bill 2019-S6904

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Domestic Animal Welfare 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
Jan 08, 2020	referred to domestic animal welfare
Dec 13, 2019	referred to rules

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1897
Current Committee:: Senate Domestic Animal Welfare
Law Section:: Agriculture and Markets Law
Laws Affected:: Add §365-a, amd §374, Ag & Mkts L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: A11684
2011-2012: S6167, A3431
2013-2014: S2271, A1204
2015-2016: S4647, S2965, A1679
2017-2018: S1389, A2126
2021-2022: S1125, A2012
2023-2024: A3024

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Restricts the performance of surgical devocalization procedures on dogs and cats.

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6904

SPONSOR: GIANARIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

To restrict the practice of devocalizing dogs and cats to medical neces-
sity

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new
section 365-a restricting the practice of devocalizing a dog or cat.

Section two of the bill relates to forfeiture of animals.

Section three of the bill authorizes the commissioner of agriculture and
markets and the commissioner of education to promulgate rules and regu-
lations to enforce this section.

 
EXISTING LAW:

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Dogs and cats vocalize for a number of reasons. They use their voices to
communicate to other animals and humans feelings of happiness, fear,
playfulness, boredom, pain, or aggression. Vocalizing is also used to
greet or warn others, or to gain attention. A person does an animal
great physical and psychological harm when electing to have them devo-
calized, which can result in problematic animal behaviors. Instead,
there are therapies and other proven techniques which can help to manage
this behavior without surgical intervention.

Devocalization, also known as ventriculocordectomy, debarking, devoic-
ing, or bark softening, is a surgical procedure which resects or removes
tissues in the vocal chords of an animal. This is done to either muffle
or eliminate the bark of a dog or meow of a cat. There are two
approaches to the procedure; one which seeks to alter the vocal chords
through the oral cavity, and another that does so directly into the
larynx. Each procedure imposes postoperative pain and potential compli-
cations, and can cause future respiratory issues in the animal. Often-
times, the procedures result in only altering the voice or pitch of an
animal's voice, instead of softening or eliminating it altogether. The
animal may even resume a near-normal voice within several months of the
procedure. Although devocalization has been used to stop the excessive
vocalization of dogs and cats, the underlying issues that cause this
behavior remain.

Devocalization has been restricted to medically necessary circumstances
by statute in Massachusetts and New Jersey and been similarly outlawed
in many other countries including the United Kingdom, Greece, and Swed-
en.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

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

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6904
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             December 13, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. GIANARIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 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:
   § 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
 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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01441-01-9

 S. 6904                             2
 
   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.
   §  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.
   §  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.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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Senate Bill S6904

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Domestic Animal Welfare Committee

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S6904

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Michael Gianaris

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Domestic Animal Welfare Committee

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6904 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments