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Home/Bills/A 664New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillIntroduced

A 664: Prohibits a person convicted of "Buster's Law" from owning or possessing a companion animal unless authorized by court order, after appropriate psychiatric or psychological testing.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified March 30, 2026

What A 664 does, verified March 30, 2026

The bill aims to limit the ownership of companion animals by individuals convicted of violating animal cruelty laws. After being convicted, these individuals must demonstrate their mental capacity and ability to care for the animal properly through psychiatric or psychological testing. If the court deems them capable, they can obtain a court order to own the animal. The court order is only valid if the individual has undergone the required testing and has shown they can care for the animal humanely. The bill takes effect 30 days after it becomes a law.

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to agriculture (2026-01-07)Alert me
Recent actions2 total · showing 2
Jan. 07, 2026referred to agriculture
Jan. 08, 2025referred to agriculture
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 8, 2025 · 268 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 664 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, COLTON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to limiting the ownership or possession of companion animals by persons convicted of violating "Buster's Law" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 353-a of the agriculture and markets law is amended 2 by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows: 3 4. On and after the effective date of this subdivision, no person who 4 is convicted of a violation of this section shall own or possess a 5 companion animal unless and until authorized by a court order issued by 6 a county court judge of such convicted person's county of residence. No 7 such order shall be issued until such convicted person first demon- 8 strates to the court that such convicted person has undergone psychiat- 9 ric or psychological testing, the results of which indicate by clear and 10 convincing evidence of such convicted person's capable and sound mental 11 capacity and ability to own and properly care for such an animal in a 12 humane manner. 13 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 14 have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02633-02-5 
Text of A 664 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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