Assembly BillIntroduced
A 3297: Includes use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument in the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals.
What A 3297 does, verified January 8, 2026
The proposed law aims to strengthen animal welfare by making the use of deadly weapons or dangerous instruments an aggravated cruelty offense. A person can be guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals if they intentionally kill or cause serious physical harm to a companion animal without a justifiable purpose. The law defines aggravated cruelty as conduct intended to cause extreme physical pain or done in an especially depraved or sadistic manner. The law will take effect immediately, increasing penalties for animal cruelty.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to agriculture (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 3297
- What is the current status of A 3297?
- As of January 8, 2026, A 3297 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to agriculture".
- Did A 3297 pass?
- Not yet. A 3297 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 3297, and where is it now?
- A 3297 was authored by Asm. John McDonald with 5 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Agriculture.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to agriculture |
| Jan. 27, 2025 | referred to agriculture |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 27, 2025 · 293 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3297 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 27, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD, STECK, LUNSFORD, JACOBSON, ANGELINO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to includ- ing use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument as an aggravated cruelty offense 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: 6 (a) intentionally kills or intentionally causes serious physical inju- 7 ry to a companion animal with aggravated cruelty; or 8 (b) with intent to kill or cause serious physical injury to a compan- 9 ion animal with aggravated cruelty, causes physical injury to a compan- 10 ion animal by means of a deadly weapon as defined in subdivision twelve 11 of section 10.00 of the penal law, or by means of a dangerous instrument 12 as defined in subdivision thirteen of section 10.00 of the penal law. 13 For purposes of this section, "aggravated cruelty" shall mean conduct 14 which: (i) is intended to cause extreme physical pain; or (ii) is done 15 or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06213-01-5
Text of A 3297 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions