S 3730: Relates to penalties for intent to cause injury to an animal.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3730 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 29, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. LANZA, MURRAY -- 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 penal- ties for intent to cause injury to an animal 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[,]: (a) 5 with no justifiable purpose, [he or she] such person intentionally kills 6 or intentionally causes serious physical injury to a companion animal 7 with aggravated cruelty or (b) under circumstances evincing a depraved 8 indifference to the life of an animal, such person recklessly engages in 9 conduct which creates a grave risk of serious physical injury or death 10 to the animal, and thereby causes serious physical injury or death to 11 such animal. For purposes of this section, "aggravated cruelty" shall 12 mean conduct which: (i) is intended to cause extreme physical pain; or 13 (ii) is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic 14 manner. 15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07513-01-5