Senate BillIntroduced
S 3491: Relates to aggravated cruelty to animals in the presence of a child; increases the potential term of imprisonment from two to four years when such crime is committed in the presence of a child; defines presence of a child.
What S 3491 does, verified January 8, 2026
The proposed law aims to strengthen animal cruelty laws in New York by increasing penalties for certain acts. Aggravated cruelty to animals in the presence of a child will be considered a felony, with a possible sentence of up to four years in prison. The law defines "in the presence of a child" as being in the physical presence of a child under 18, where the child can see or hear the act. The law will take effect 180 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
Quick answers about S 3491
- What is the current status of S 3491?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 3491 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 S 3491 pass?
- Not yet. S 3491 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 3491, and where is it now?
- S 3491 was authored by Sen. James Tedisco. Its committee of record is Senate 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. 28, 2025 | REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 28, 2025 · 302 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3491 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to aggra- vated cruelty to animals in the presence of a child The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 3 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 3. Aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony. A defendant convicted of 5 this offense shall be sentenced pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision 6 one of section 55.10 of the penal law provided, however, that any term 7 of imprisonment imposed for violation of this section shall be a defi- 8 nite sentence, which may not exceed two years, except that any person 9 who commits one or more of the acts specified in subdivision one of this 10 section in the presence of a child may be sentenced to a period not to 11 exceed four years. For purposes of this section, "in the presence of a 12 child" shall mean in the physical presence of a child under the age of 13 eighteen knowing or having reason to know that child is present and may 14 see or hear such act. 15 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 16 it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02564-01-5
Text of S 3491 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions