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Home/Bills/A 2019New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillIntroduced

A 2019: Eliminates the requirement that injury be serious with respect to aggravated cruelty to animals.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified January 8, 2026

What A 2019 does, verified January 8, 2026

The bill aims to strengthen animal cruelty laws in New York. It defines aggravated cruelty to animals as intentionally causing extreme physical pain or inflicting it in a sadistic or depraved manner. This behavior is considered a serious offense, even if there is no justifiable purpose. The law change takes effect immediately, providing a stronger protection for companion animals against inhumane treatment.

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to codes (2026-01-07)Alert me
Author and sponsors
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Coauthors
David WeprinSteve SternDonna LupardoMarianne ButtenschonAl StirpeBrian CunninghamJodi Giglio
Recent actions3 total · showing 3
Jan. 07, 2026referred to codes
Apr. 02, 2025reported referred to codes
Jan. 14, 2025referred to agriculture
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 14, 2025 · 217 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2019 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, WEPRIN, STERN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agri- culture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to aggra- vated cruelty to animals The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 353-a of the agriculture and 2 markets law, as added by chapter 118 of the laws of 1999, is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 1. A person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals when, with no 5 justifiable purpose, [he or she] such person intentionally kills or 6 intentionally causes [serious] physical injury to a companion animal 7 with aggravated cruelty. For purposes of this section, "aggravated 8 cruelty" shall mean conduct which: (i) is intended to cause extreme 9 physical pain; or (ii) is done or carried out in an especially depraved 10 or sadistic manner. 11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02486-01-5 
Text of A 2019 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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