Researcher: JKL Page 1 5/3/24
OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5223 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO AGRICULTURE
RELATED STATUTES.
SUMMARY
This bill makes numerous unrelated changes to agriculture-related
statutes. It primarily does the following:
1. requires businesses to get separate commercial kennel, grooming
facility, and training facility licenses from the Department of
Agriculture (DoAg) by removing current exemptions in the
definitions of grooming facility and training facility;
2. specifies that a grooming facility, which is a place maintained to
groom dogs, includes a vehicle or trailer used for a dog grooming
business;
3. removes the requirement that the governor’s eight appointees to
the Milk Regulation Board (which is responsible for adopting
regulations on the sale and production of milk and milk
products) be confirmed by either General Assembly chamber,
allowing them to be seated without legislative review;
4. allows a municipal pound to use a voucher from the Animal
Population Control Program (see BACKGROUND) to get any
dog or cat, rather than only ones with pyometra, sterilized and
vaccinated before the animal is purchased or adopted from the
pound;
5. removes a requirement that the state veterinarian sign a health
certificate that a state-licensed veterinarian issues for an equine
(e.g., horse) being brought to public auction and defines
“Coggins test” as the official test for equine infectious anemia (for
which equines being auctioned must test negative by law); 2024HB-05223-R010660-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JKL Page 2 5/3/24
6. removes the minimum qualifications for a person to be appointed
by the state entomologist as an apiary inspector; and
7. specifies that dogs and cats that must receive a rabies vaccination
(i.e., those at least 12 weeks of age or the vaccine manufacturer’s
recommended age as approved by the U .S. Department of
Agriculture, rather than at least three months old as under
current law) must be vaccinated before the animal is 14 weeks
old.
Additionally, the bill requires the insurance commissioner, in
consultation with the agriculture commissioner, to study the feasibility
of establishing a captive insurance company to provide financial help to
farmers in Connecticut who are impacted by severe weather. The
insurance commissioner must report recommendations to the Insurance
and Real Estate Committee by January 1, 2025.
The bill also makes technical changes.
*House Amendment “A” adds provisions on (1) rabies vaccinations
and (2) a farmers captive insurance study.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 1 — COMMERCIAL KEN NEL, GROOMING, AND T RAINING
SERVICES
By removing the exemption for commercial kennels from the
definitions of “grooming facility” and “training facility” and removing
the exemption for grooming facilities from the definition of “training
facility,” the bill requires a business to get a license from DoAg for each
activity it conducts. Correspondingly, it requires the business to comply
with the statutory requirements for each license type as a separate
entity. Under current law, commercial kennels that also groom or train
dogs, and grooming facilities that also train dogs, are exempt from the
additional licensure requirements.
By law, a commercial kennel license costs $400. Grooming facility and
training facility licenses cost $200 each. Each license expires the 2024HB-05223-R010660-BA.DOCX
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December 31st following its issuance and may be renewed every two
years. Licensees must comply with state regulations on sanitation,
disease, humane treatment of animals, and public safety as well as
municipal zoning regulations (CGS § 22-344).
§ 6 — APIARY INSPECTOR
The bill removes the minimum qualifications for an apiary inspector.
Under current law, to be appointed as an inspector by the state
entomologist, a person must meet the qualifications of an Agricultural
Research Technician II at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station and have at least five years of beekeeping experience or three
years of experience as a bee inspector.
BACKGROUND
Animal Population Control Program Vouchers
By law, municipal pounds cannot sell or give away an unspayed or
unneutered dog or cat unless the person buying or adopting the animal
pays $45 for a spay and neuter voucher. The person can redeem the
voucher at a participating veterinarian for sterilization and vaccination
services, or the pound can arrange for the services before releasing the
animal. If the veterinarian determines the animal is medically unfit for
sterilization, the person may apply to DoAg for a refund.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Environment Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 34 Nay 0 (03/08/2024)