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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6231
January Session, 2025
AN ACT RESTRICTING THE EUTHANIZATION OF FERAL CATS,
PROHIBITING CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT AS AN ANIMAL CONTROL
OFFICER AND STUDYING THE INVOLVEMENT OF OUTSIDE
ORGANIZATIONS AT ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 22-339d of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) A municipality may adopt an ordinance requiring the registration, 3
within one year of the adoption of such ordinance, of keepers of feral 4
cats in residential or commercial areas. Such ordinance shall require that 5
any such keeper shall register with the animal control officer for such 6
municipality who shall provide information to the registrant regarding 7
the proper care and management of feral cats. For purposes of this 8
section, "feral cat" means a free-roaming domestic cat which is not 9
owned and "keeper" means any person or organization, harboring, 10
regularly feeding or having in his or its possession any feral cat. Refusal 11
to permit any animal control officer to impound a feral cat shall be 12
deemed evidence of keeping. Such ordinance shall require that such 13
keepers shall provide for the vaccination of such cats against rabies and 14
the sterilization of such cats. Such keeper shall be considered an eligible 15
owner for purposes of the animal population control program 16
established under sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, provided such 17 Substitute Bill No. 6231
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cats are adopted from a municipal pound. 18
(b) A municipality may adopt an ordinance providing that no person 19
owning or keeping any cat shall permit such animal to (1) substantially 20
damage property other than the property of the owner or keeper, or (2) 21
cause an unsanitary [,] or dangerous [or unreasonably offensive] 22
condition. Violation of such provision shall be an infraction. 23
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter: (1) Each 24
animal control officer shall consult an animal rescue or feral cat 25
organization when undertaking efforts to control the feral cat 26
population in any such municipality for the purpose of the possible 27
placement of any such feral cat in the care of such organization, and (2) 28
no municipality, animal control officer or regional animal control officer 29
shall euthanize a feral cat for any purpose other than that such animal 30
presents a public health danger, such as a communicable disease, 31
including, but not limited to, rabies, or such cat is injured to an extent 32
that euthanasia is determined to be the only humane course of action by 33
a veterinarian licensed in this state. 34
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) No person shall serve, or 35
continue to serve, as an animal control officer or regional animal control 36
officer, pursuant to section 22-331 or 22-331a of the general statutes, as 37
applicable, if such person is convicted of animal abuse or neglect 38
pursuant to section 53-247 of the general statutes, enters a plea of nolo 39
contendere on such a charge or enters into a plea bargain concerning 40
such a charge. 41
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) Not later than July 1, 2025, the 42
Commissioner of Agriculture shall convene a working group within the 43
Department of Agriculture to develop recommendations for legislation 44
to: (1) Create guidelines and determine best practices for the provision 45
of mutual aid to animal control and dog pound facilities by animal 46
rescue organizations and members of the public, (2) address ways to 47
shorten the length of time seized animals are kept in custody at such 48
facilities, (3) improve current training standards for animal control 49 Substitute Bill No. 6231
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officers through enhanced continuing education requirements, and (4) 50
establish protocols for the use of volunteers in animal control facilities. 51
Such working group shall consist of: (A) The Commissioner of 52
Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee, (B) the Chief State's 53
Attorney, or such attorney's designee, (C) three representatives of an 54
organization that represents animal control officers who shall be 55
appointed by the commissioner and, respectively, represent urban, 56
suburban and rural municipalities, (D) a representative of a municipal 57
police department, appointed by the commissioner, and (E) a 58
representative from an animal rights organization, appointed by the 59
commissioner. Such working group shall hold not less than two public 60
forums in undertaking the responsibilities described in this section. The 61
commissioner, on or before February 1, 2026, shall submit the 62
recommendations of such working group to the joint standing 63
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 64
relating to the environment, in accordance with section 11-4a of the 65
general statutes. 66
Sec. 4. Section 22-332d of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective 67
from passage) 68
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 22-339d
Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 3 from passage New section
Sec. 4 from passage Repealer section
ENV Joint Favorable Subst.