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MICAH Z. KELLNER65th Assembly District
THE ASSEMBLYSTATE OF NEW YORK
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Kellner, Advocates Unveil Legislation That Will Save
Thousands of New Yorks Shelter Animals
NYC New York State Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner (D-Upper
East Side,
Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island), along with animal rescue
advocates, announced
comprehensive legislation that will ensure qualified animal
welfare groups access to shelter
animals.
The Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act (CAARA) sets minimum
standards that allowrescue groups to recover animals from a
shelter, a society for the prevention of cruelty to
animals, humane society or pound that are scheduled to be
destroyed. Current New York lawonly allows for individuals to adopt
from shelters, which gives shelters the ability to deny these
qualified groups access to these animals.
There are tens of thousands animals in New York State shelters
waiting to be adopted and mostare healthy, well-behaved, and just
in need of a loving home, Assembly Member Kellner said.
When a humane organization volunteers to take these animals,
they should not be denied. A
shelter should work with them to the fullest extent possible.
States like California and Delawarehave already passed similar
legislation, and now it is time for New York to step up to the
plate.
In 1998, California passed the Hayden Law which includes a
provision this legislation ismodeled after, allowing not-for-profit
animal rescue or animal adoption organizations to request
possession of a dog or cat prior to its killing. Delaware passed
similar legislation in 2010 that
seeks to find sheltered animals homes, rather than euthanize
them. Both bills passed withoverwhelming bipartisan support.
CAARA is a comprehensive measure that goes beyond just giving
rescue groups mere access.
For the first time, it sets qualifications and guidelines for
both shelters and rescue groups.Outlining the responsibilities of
those who work directly with the animals will help ensure that
the animals receive the proper care. These provisions ensure
that animals are given fresh food
and water on a daily basis, exercise and socialization with
other animals, clean livingenvironments, and prompt veterinary
care. Additionally, both paper and digital records are
required in order to help facilitate finding these animals a
home. To ensure compliance, routine
inspections of the facility are mandated.
Furthermore, CAARA extends whistleblower protections to rescue
groups. In many cases, rescue
groups have been denied access to shelters for speaking out
against bad practices, whether it be
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8/6/2019 5.16.11 Press Release CAARA
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for abuse or mismanagement. Every time a group is turned away,
it adds to the undue burden on
the taxpayer who has to foot the bill for every animal kept or
killed in a shelter.
Allowing qualified groups to have access is not only the
compassionate thing to do, continued
Kellner, but it saves taxpayers money at a time when they need
it the most.
The Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act is a progressive
piece of legislation that will
benefit the animals and is in line with our mission of No More
Homeless Pets, said Gregory
Castle, chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society.
We are pleased to have beenable to work with Assemblyman Kellner
and we believe the key points of this legislation elevate
the standards of care of shelter animals in New York State,
provide needed access for rescue
organizations thereby saving many animal lives, and serve as a
template for similar legislation in
other states.
"Not only will CAARA save tens of thousands of animals in
shelters across the state every year
at no cost to taxpayers, but it will have impact across the
country as others follow New York's
lead and introduce similar laws, said Nathan J. Winograd of the
No-Kill Advocacy Center, thenations first organization dedicated
solely to the promotion of a No Kill nation. Where New
York goes, so goes the nation."
Alley Cat Allies stands fully behind Assembly Member Micah
Kellner and the Companion
Animal Access and Rescue Act. This legislation could help save
the lives of countless cats who
would otherwise be killed in New York animal pounds and
shelters, said Becky Robinson,president of Alley Cat Allies, the
national advocate for stray and feral cats. The public wants
better from the animal pound and sheltering system, and CAARA
would improve accountability
by mandating disclosure of the fates of animals impounded in
animal shelters.
CAARA will save thousands of lives, and will have a positive
financial consequence for
taxpayers, as rescue groups and volunteers save animals at their
own expense, said PeterMuller, State Director for the League of
Humane Voters of New York.
The legislation is sponsored in the New York State Senate by
Senator Joseph Robach (R-C-I,Rochester).
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