Bill > A5497

Introduced Session

This bill directs the Department of Health (DOH) to establish an animal abuser registry, provides a process by which persons who have previously been convicted and persons who are newly convicted of a criminal animal cruelty violation are to be included on the animal abuser registry, and updates current law concerning persons ineligible to be an animal control officer due to a conviction for an animal cruelty violation. Under the bill, the DOH is required to establish the animal abuser registry and publish the registry on its website. The bill requires the registry to include the full legal name of any person who has been convicted of a criminal animal cruelty violation, any photographs obtained during the criminal booking process, and other pertinent information that the DOH determines will properly identify the animal abuser. The bill prohibits the registry from including the Social Security number, driver's license number, or any other state or federal identification number of any person. For the purpose of establishing the animal abuser registry, the bill requires the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Law and Public Safety, and any other governmental or other official administrative entity maintaining records of criminal animal cruelty convictions to provide notice to the Commissioner of Health of any person the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Law and Public Safety, or other entity is aware of who has been convicted in the last 10 years of a criminal animal cruelty violation. The bill requires this notice to be provided to the commissioner electronically or in writing, within 90 days after the effective date of the bill. For the purpose of maintaining the animal abuser registry, the bill requires a court adjudging the guilt for a criminal animal cruelty violation to charge the prosecutor, State or county officer of a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, humane law enforcement officer, or other appropriate person, with the responsibility to notify the Commissioner of Health with the full name of the person convicted of the criminal animal cruelty violation and the criminal animal cruelty violation for which or of which that person was found guilty. The bill requires the person charged with the responsibility to provide such notice to the commissioner within 30 days. The bill expands the criminal violations related to animal abuse that disqualify an individual from serving as an animal control officer, and permits the Commissioner of Health to use the animal abuser registry to maintain a list of persons ineligible to be animal control officers due to a conviction for animal cruelty. The bill is scheduled to take effect on January 1 next following enactment.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Daniel Benson (D)*,  Annette Chaparro (D)*,  Anthony Verrelli (D)*,  Ronald Dancer (R),  Raj Mukherji (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture Committee (on 03/17/2021)