BILL NUMBER: S1741

SPONSOR: MARTINEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
penalty for the abandonment of animals

 
PURPOSE:

To establish a minimum fine for the abandonment of an animal.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Section 355 of the agriculture and markets law, as amended 2
by chapter 458 of the laws of 1985, is amended to prescribe a fine of
not less than five hundred dollars in cases of animal abandonment.

Section 2. Establishes the enacting clause.

 
JUSTIFICATION:
              

Animals rely on their caregivers to provide the necessary conditions for
their survival. Across the state, there are dozens of animal shelters,
veterinarians, organizations and resources with the ability to assist in
the event one is no longer able to care for an animal.  Despite this,
animals are continuously abandoned, left to fend for themselves at no
fault of their own.

In August of 2024, a mastiff named Roxi was left tied to a telephone
poll along the Long Island Expressway with a note and a small amount of
food. The suspect has since been charged with animal abandonment and
failure to provide proper sheltering of a dog. While Roxie was medically
evaluated and later adopted out to a loving home, not every dog in such
a situation is as lucky.

The current penalty for the abandonment of an animal is either a misde-
meanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than a year, or by fine
of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both. This bill aims to
emphasize the inhumanity of knowingly abandoning an animal by requiring
such fine to not be less than five hundred dollars. It is a small yet
meaningful change sending a strong message that accountability and
justice will ensue to ensure all animals are treated humanely and
protected under the law.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.