A 1557: Prohibits certain acts in rodeos; imposes penalties for the violation of such acts.
The bill aims to prohibit the use of certain animal-wrangling techniques in rodeos in the state of New York. It defines calf roping, electric prods, flank straps, and spurs with fixed or sharpened rowels as prohibited practices. The bill prohibits the use of these techniques on horses, bulls, cattle, or other livestock in public exhibitions, such as rodeos. Violators may face civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation, and their permits or licenses to operate as a rodeo may be revoked. Venues that host rodeos violating the bill may lose their eligibility for state tax abatements. The bill takes effect 30 days after it becomes law.
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to agriculture |
| Jan. 10, 2025 | referred to agriculture |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1557 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, PAULIN, LAVINE, COLTON, SIMON, GLICK, SIMONE, WILLIAMS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agri- culture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the prohibition of certain acts in rodeos The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 2 section 352 to read as follows: 3 § 352. Use of animals in rodeos. 1. For the purposes of this section: 4 (a) "Calf roping" shall mean capturing a calf with a lasso and binding 5 its feet or allowing it to run free. 6 (b) "Electric prod" shall mean a handheld device used to make cattle 7 or other livestock move by striking or poking such animal with such 8 device which shocks such animal with a high voltage, low current elec- 9 tric shock. 10 (c) "Flank strap" or "bucking strap" shall mean a strap or rope which 11 is tightly cinched around the abdomen of a horse or bull causing such 12 animal to buck. 13 (d) "Person" shall mean any individual, partnership, limited liability 14 company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust, estate or any 15 other legal entity, and any officer, member, shareholder, director, 16 employee, agent or representative of any such entity. 17 (e) "Rodeo" shall mean a public exhibition in which skills such as 18 riding bulls or broncos, or roping animals, are displayed. 19 (f) "Spur with a fixed or sharpened rowel" shall mean a sharp prod 20 fixed to the heel of the rider of an animal which is used to enhance or 21 increase the intensity of the bucking of the animal. 22 2. No person in a rodeo shall: 23 (a) engage in calf roping; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04090-01-5A. 1557 2 1 (b) use flank straps or bucking straps on horses, bulls, cattle, or 2 other livestock; 3 (c) use electric prods on horses, bulls, cattle, or other livestock; 4 or 5 (d) use spurs with fixed or sharpened rowels on horses, bulls, cattle, 6 or other livestock. 7 3. (a) Any person that violates the provisions of this section, or any 8 rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, may be assessed, by the 9 commissioner, a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for 10 each such violation. Each violation and each day during which a 11 violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. 12 (b) Any person that violates the provisions of this section, shall 13 have any permit or license to operate as a rodeo revoked. 14 4. Any venue that hosts a rodeo that violates the provisions of this 15 section, or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, shall 16 lose its eligibility for any state tax abatements. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 18 have become a law.