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2017 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 64
BY SENATOR GATTI
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
ANIMALS. Provides for animal shelter operating procedures and training requirements and
authorizes animal shelters to post pictures of animals on a social media account or website.
(8/1/17)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 3:2463(C) and (E) and to enact R.S. 3:2462(6), (7), and (8) and
3 2465(E) and (F), relative to animal shelter operating procedures; to authorize animal
4 shelters to post pictures of animals on a social media account or website; to require
5 inspectors and shelter personnel to attend annual training; to require animal shelters
6 to implement a seventy-two hour minimum hold time for stray animals; to provide
7 for definitions; and to provide for related matters.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 3:2463(C) and (E) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
10 3:2462(6), (7), and (8) and 2465(E) and (F) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §2462. Definitions
12 As used in this Part, the following words shall have the following meanings
13 ascribed to them:
14 * * *
15 (6) "Severely injured" means an animal which because of major trauma,
16 broken bones, blood loss, or other easily apparent life-threatening condition,
17 will not be expected to live and is in severe pain or suffering.
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1 (7) "Social media account" means an Internet-based service that allows
2 individuals to do the following:
3 (a) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system
4 created by the service.
5 (b) Create a list of other users with whom they share a connection within
6 the system.
7 (c) View and navigate their list of connections and those made by others
8 within the system.
9 (8) "Terminally ill" means an animal that, because of apparent sickness
10 or condition, is not expected to live and is in dire physical distress.
11 §2463. General shelter standards
12 * * *
13 C.(1) Shelters shall be inspected at least once every six months by an
14 authorized representative of the parish to determine compliance with the
15 requirements of this Part. Additional inspections shall be made promptly upon
16 receipt of a bonafide complaint.
17 (2) The parish shall notify the director of the animal control agency or
18 shelter of the inspector's name in writing. Each individual authorized to
19 conduct shelter inspections for the parish shall annually attend training offered
20 by an organization that provides accredited continuing education courses
21 regarding shelter safety, animal welfare, and state compliance procedures, such
22 as the Louisiana Animal Control Association.
23 * * *
24 E. Shelter personnel shall annually attend training offered by an
25 organization that provides accredited continuing education courses regarding
26 shelter safety, animal welfare, and state compliance procedures, such as the
27 Louisiana Animal Control Association and should be trained as to animal health,
28 disease control, humane care and treatment, animal control and transportation of
29 animals. Shelter workers shall be fundamentally humane, shall be able to identify
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1 and understand the principal animal diseases and injuries, and should have good
2 judgment and even temperament.
3 * * *
4 §2465. Operating procedures
5 * * *
6 E. Any animal shelter that maintains a social media account or a website
7 may post pictures of every animal that enters the shelter upon intake and again
8 prior to euthanasia of the animal.
9 F.(1) Any animal seized while running at large and bearing no
10 identification, including a microchip registered to the owner or a name tag with
11 traceable information, shall be held for a minimum of seventy-two hours prior
12 to becoming property of the animal shelter or animal control agency.
13 (2) This Subsection shall not apply to the following:
14 (a) Any cat seized while running at large and bearing no identification
15 which is sterilized and returned to the area where the cat was originally seized.
16 (b) Any severely injured or terminally ill animal.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Curry Lann.
DIGEST
SB 64 Engrossed 2017 Regular Session Gatti
Present law requires animal shelters to be inspected at least once every six months by an
authorized representative of the parish in which it is located.
Proposed law retains present law and further requires each parish to notify the director of the
animal control agency or shelter of the inspector's name in writing.
Proposed law requires inspectors and shelter personnel to annually attend training offered
by an organization that provides accredited continuing education courses regarding shelter
safety, animal welfare, and state compliance procedures, such as the Louisiana Animal
Control Association.
Present law (R.S. 3:2463-2465) provides for animal shelter minimum standards and
operating procedures.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law provides for the following definitions:
(1)"Severely injured" means an animal which because of major trauma, broken bones,
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blood loss, or other easily apparent life-threatening condition, will not be expected
to live and is in severe pain or suffering.
(2)"Social media account" means an Internet-based service that allows individuals to
do the following:
(a)Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system created by
the service.
(b)Create a list of other users with whom they share a connection within the
system.
(c)View and navigate their list of connections and those made by others within
the system.
(3)"Terminally ill" means an animal that, because of apparent sickness or condition, is
not expected to live and is in dire physical distress.
Proposed law authorizes any animal shelter that maintains a social media account or a
website to post pictures of every animal that enters the shelter upon intake and again prior
to euthanasia of the animal.
Proposed law requires any animal seized while running at large and bearing no
identification, including a microchip registered to the owner or a name tag with traceable
information, to be held for a minimum of seventy-two hours prior to becoming property of
the animal shelter or animal control agency.
Proposed law further provides an exemption to the seventy-two hour minimum hold
requirement for the following animals:
(1)Any cat seized while running at large and bearing no identification which is
sterilized and returned to the area where the cat was originally seized.
(2)Any severely injured or terminally ill animal.
Effective August 1, 2017.
(Amends R.S. 3:2463(C) and (E); adds R.S. 3:2462(6), (7), and (8) and 2465(E) and (F))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry,
Aquaculture, and Rural Development to the original bill
1. Defines the terms "severely injured" and "terminally ill".
2. Expands the training requirement for inspectors and shelter personnel to
include organizations that offer accredited continuing education courses
regarding shelter safety, animal welfare, and state compliance procedures.
3. Exempts certain cats and severely injured or terminally ill animals from the
seventy-two hour minimum hold requirement.
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.