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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 5025 |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC000319 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Representatives Edwards, Bennett, Spears, O'Brien, Hull, Newberry, and |
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| 17 | 17 | | Chippendale |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: January 10, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: House Health & Human Services |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Section 4-1-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 4-1 entitled "Cruelty to 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Animals" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 4-1-26. Abandonment of animals. 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) If any person having possession and/or control of an animal abandons that animal on a 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | street, road, highway or in a public place or on private property or from a motor vehicle, or in a 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | dwelling or any other building or structure without providing for the care of that animal, he or she 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | shall be punished in the manner provided in § 4-1-2 for each such offense. If this abandonment 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | results in the death of the animal, the person shall be punished in the manner provided in § 4-1-5. 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Abandonment means the relinquishment of all right, title, claim, or possession of the animal with 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | the intention of not reclaiming it or resuming its ownership or possession. 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) Any pound or animal shelter as defined under § 4-19-2, shall deem abandoned any 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | animal impounded and not redeemed by its owner within ten (10) days of impoundment if such 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | animal is wearing identification. Any animal impounded and not wearing identification shall be 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | deemed abandoned if not redeemed by its owner within five (5) days of impoundment. Any animal 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | deemed abandoned shall become the property of the impounding agency and may be adopted. 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) Any pound or animal shelter shall make a prompt and reasonable attempt to locate and 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | notify the owner of the impounded animal, including scanning the animal for a microchip. 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | (d) It shall not be considered abandonment, and the provisions of subsection (a) of this 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | section and of § 4-24-8 shall not apply to any person who traps unowned feral or free roaming cats, 19 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC000319 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 45 | 45 | | causes those cats to be spayed or neutered, and subsequently releases those cats, provided: 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (1) Any medical or surgical procedures performed on those cats are performed by a licensed 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | veterinarian; and 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (2) The cats are returned to the property where they were trapped. 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | ======== |
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| 51 | 51 | | LC000319 |
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| 52 | 52 | | ======== |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | |
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| 55 | 55 | | LC000319 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 56 | 56 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 57 | 57 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 58 | 58 | | OF |
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| 59 | 59 | | A N A C T |
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| 60 | 60 | | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS |
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| 61 | 61 | | *** |
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| 62 | 62 | | This act would provide that the trapping and subsequent release of any unowned feral or 1 |
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| 63 | 63 | | free roaming cat for the purpose of spaying or neutering of the cat would not be considered 2 |
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| 64 | 64 | | abandonment. 3 |
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| 65 | 65 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 66 | 66 | | ======== |
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| 67 | 67 | | LC000319 |
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| 68 | 68 | | ======== |
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