Bill > A03528

This bill amends the New York agriculture and markets law to expand and clarify provisions related to animal cruelty, specifically defining "aggravated cruelty" as intentional actions causing extreme physical pain or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner. The bill establishes two levels of criminal penalties: committing aggravated cruelty to a companion animal is now a class E felony punishable by up to two years in prison, and committing such acts in the presence of a child (defined as within physical proximity of a person under 18, with the perpetrator knowing or having reason to know a child is present) is classified as a more serious class D felony. The legislation updates language from gender-specific pronouns to gender-neutral terms and provides more precise legal definitions for prosecuting cases of extreme animal abuse. The bill will take effect 180 days after becoming law, giving time for law enforcement and judicial systems to prepare for the new provisions.