A 2026: Relates to aggravated cruelty to animals; removes requirement that an animal be killed with aggravated cruelty in order to be guilty of such crime.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2026 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture 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 [with 7 aggravated cruelty. For purposes of this section, "aggravated cruelty" 8 shall mean conduct which: (i) is intended to cause extreme physical 9 pain; or (ii) is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadis- 10 tic 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. LBD03399-01-5