Relates to authorizing the seizure and confinement of animals in connection with the prevention of rabies.

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S4566-2011 Actions

• Jun 1, 2011: SUBSTITUTED BY A3338
• May 16, 2011: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• May 11, 2011: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• May 10, 2011: 1ST REPORT CAL.596
• Apr 12, 2011: REFERRED TO HEALTH

S4566-2011 Meetings

Health: May 10, 2011

S4566-2011 Calendars

Active List: Jun 1, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 11, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 16, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 17, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 18, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 24, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 25, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 1, 2011

S4566-2011 Votes

S4566-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S4566

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the seizure
and confinement of animals in connection with the prevention of rabies

PURPOSE:
To give county health officials the flexibility to allow home
confinement of animals to determine their rabies status.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill permits home confinement of animals suspected of having
rabies upon approval of the county health authority. Confinement must
include provisions to prevent the escape of the animal. Also, the
owner is required to notify the public health authority if the animal
becomes ill during confinement.

JUSTIFICATION:
Under current law, confinement of an animal that might have exposed a
person to rabies must take place at a facility such as an animal
shelter, veterinarian's office, kennel or farm (except that county
health departments may allow home confinement of animals that are
actively immunized).
This bill would generally permit home confinement of animals upon
approval of the county health authority, provided that there are
provisions to prevent escape of the animal, the owner is required to
immediately notify the county health authority if the animal becomes
ill, and the county health authority verifies at the end of the ten
day period that the animal is healthy.
One ongoing problem has been that some pet owners may be unable to
afford the costs of such outside confinement. These owners may
respond by euthanizing the animal, or moving it to another location
and claiming that it has run away. The result is that the victim must
then receive rabies post-exposure vaccinations, when such treatment
may have otherwise proven to be unnecessary. This bill provides local
health departments with flexibility in allowing home confinement
where appropriate.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.

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

S4566-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    4566

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                               April 12, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  FARLEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

  AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation  to  authorizing  the
    seizure  and  confinement of animals in connection with the prevention
    of rabies

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1. Subdivision 7 of section 2140 of the public health law, as
  added by chapter 180 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:

    7. "Confinement and observation" refers to the conditions under  which
  apparently  healthy dogs, cats, domesticated ferrets, and domestic live-
  stock, which are not exhibiting symptoms of rabies, must  be  maintained
  TO  DETERMINE  RABIES STATUS if such an animal has potentially exposed a
  person to rabies, and the owner wishes to avoid euthanizing and  testing
  the  animal.  [The] IF THE COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY DOES NOT APPROVE HOME
  CONFINEMENT, THE ten day confinement and observation  period  must  take
  place,  at owner's expense, at an appropriate facility such as an animal
  shelter, veterinarian's office,  kennel  or  farm  [for  an  animal  not
  actively immunized against rabies at the time of the bite. County health
  departments  may  allow  home  confinements  and observation for animals
  actively immunized. Confinement and observation includes]. THE  CONFINE-
  MENT  MUST INCLUDE (I) PROVISIONS TO PREVENT ESCAPE OF THE ANIMAL DURING
  THE CONFINEMENT PERIOD AND (II) REQUIREMENTS THAT THE OWNER  NOTIFY  THE
  PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITY IMMEDIATELY IF THE ANIMAL BECOMES ILL AT ANYTIME
  DURING CONFINEMENT, AND (III) verification by the county health authori-
  ty  or their designee [both during and] at the end of the ten day period
  that the animal [cannot or has not escaped and has remained] IS healthy.
    S 2.  This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after  it  shall
  have become a law.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD02694-01-1