A10119 — Establishes an animal abuser registry

Summary

Establishes an animal abuser registry; requires background checks for pet store and animal shelter licenses.

Bill Text

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Compared against the New York Consolidated Laws as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the New York Consolidated Laws: Section 403 of the agriculture and markets law.

• Section 403 of the agriculture and markets law

  12. The applicable license issuer pursuant to the provisions of this section shall run a background check as part of every application and renewal against the animal abuser registry established pursuant to section three hundred fifty-three-g of this chapter and shall not issue or renew a license to an applicant or licensee who is on such registry. , except that those pet dealers who engage in the sale of less than twenty-five animals in a year , except that those animal shelters who adopt out less than twenty-five animals in a year 8. The commissioner shall run a background check as part of every application and renewal against the animal abuser registry established pursuant to section three hundred fifty-three-g of this chapter and shall not issue or renew a license to an applicant or licensee who is on such registry. italics § 353-g. Animal abuser registry. 1. For purposes of this section, the term "animal abuser" means a person sixteen years of age or older who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor violation of any provision of this article or of the comparable statutes of another state. 2. The New York state division of criminal justice services shall maintain a registry of animal abusers required to register pursuant to the provisions of this section. The central registry of animal abusers shall be made available to the public through internet access, telephone access, written access and in-person access. All of the information contained in an animal abuser's registration shall be made available. Records of each animal abuser's registration shall be maintained for the duration of the period in which the animal abuser is required to be registered. 3. (a) A person convicted of a felony or misdemeanor violation of any provision of this article shall register with the department of criminal justice services within ten days of their release from incarceration or on the date of conviction, whichever is later. (b) Any animal abuser who enters the state and physically remains within the boundaries of this state for more than ten consecutive days shall register with the department of criminal justice services before the end of the eleventh day in the state. 4. Any previously registered animal abuser shall reregister no later than ten days after moving to a new location within the state. 5. When an animal abuser registers, the animal abuser shall provide the following registration information: (a) the legal name and any other names or aliases that the animal abuser is using or has used; (b) the date of birth of the animal abuser; (c) the current address or location of the animal abuser; (d) the animal protection offense for which the animal abuser was convicted, including the date and place of such conviction; and (e) a current photograph of the animal abuser. 6. Following an animal abuser's initial registration pursuant to the provisions of this section, an animal abuser shall annually renew the animal abuser's registration with the department of criminal justice services prior to December thirty-first of each subsequent calendar year for a period of seven years from the animal abuser's date of conviction or release from incarceration for the underlying violation of this arti- cle, whichever is later. An animal abuser who is convicted of a subse- quent felony or misdemeanor violation of any provision of this article or of the comparable statutes of another state shall be required to annually renew such animal abuser's registration with the department of criminal justice services prior to December thirty-first of each subse- quent calendar year for the rest of their life. 7. An animal abuser who intentionally or knowingly fails to comply with the registration requirements, or provides false information when complying with the registration requirements set forth in this section, is guilty of a class E felony. 8. Each county sheriff shall provide links to register with or view the department of criminal justice services' regi

  amended

Action History

1. February 11, 2026

   PRINT NUMBER 10119A

2. February 11, 2026

   AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO AGRICULTURE

3. February 02, 2026

   REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

Sponsors

• Sarah Clark · Primary

Subjects