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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0398 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001878 |
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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 -- PSITTACINE BIRDS |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Murray, Urso, DiMario, Gallo, and Valverde |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 4-11 of the General Laws entitled "Psittacine Birds" is hereby 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | amended by adding thereto the following section: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 4-11-14. Parrot sale restrictions. 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) "Agricultural use" means birds, such as chickens or guinea fowl, that are raised as 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | livestock for personal or commercial use. Parrots cannot be classified as birds for agricultural use. 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) "Animal care facility" means an animal control center or animal shelter, maintained by 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | or under contract with any state, county, or municipality, whose mission or practice is to protect 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | the welfare of animals and find placement for them in homes or animal rescue organizations. 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) "Animal rescue organization" means a nonprofit organization whose mission and 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | practice is the rescue and placement of mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians into permanent 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | homes. These organizations cannot obtain any animal from a breeder or broker for payment or 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | compensation. 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) "Broker" means a third party as defined in ยง 4-19-2. 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) "Parrots" means any of the numerous widely distributed tropical birds belonging to the 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | order Psittaciformes. 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (6) "Pet store" or "pet shop" means a retail establishment where animals are sold, 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | exchanged, bartered, or offered for sale to the general public. Such definition shall not include an 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | animal care facility or animal rescue organization as defined in this section. A person who sells or 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC001878 - Page 2 of 4 |
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| 44 | 44 | | otherwise transfers the offspring of animals they have bred on their residential premises shall not 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | be considered a "pet store" for purposes of this section. 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b) Prohibition of the sale of parrots at pet stores. 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) It shall be unlawful for a pet store to sell or offer for sale a parrot from a breeder or 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | broker. 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (2) A pet store may offer for sale parrots that are obtained from animal care facilities or 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | animal rescue organizations. 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (3) The name of the animal care facility or rescue organization will be clearly displayed 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | next to enclosures when adoption events are held at pet stores. 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (4) Pet stores shall have a one year grace period to sell parrots already in their possession 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | on the effective date of this section. 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (c) Prohibition on sales in public places. 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to offer for sale, sell, exchange, or barter any parrots 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | on any roadside, park, other recreation area, outdoor market, or commercial or retail parking lot, 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | even if access is authorized by the property owner. 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) This section shall not apply to the following: 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (i) The display of birds as part of a state or county fair exhibition or for educational 17 |
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| 61 | 61 | | programs. This exception does not apply to parrots and they cannot be displayed at fairs or used 18 |
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| 62 | 62 | | for educational programs. 19 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (ii) A bird sold or displayed for agricultural uses. This exception does not apply to parrots 20 |
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| 64 | 64 | | and they cannot be classified as birds for agricultural use. 21 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (d) Violation - Penalty. 22 |
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| 66 | 66 | | Any person who sells a parrot in violation of this section shall be subject to a civil fine of 23 |
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| 67 | 67 | | one thousand dollars ($1,000). Each unlawful sale or offer for sale will constitute a separate 24 |
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| 68 | 68 | | violation. If a pet store acquires more parrots during the one-year grace period from a broker or 25 |
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| 69 | 69 | | breeder, a civil fine of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) will be issued for each violation. 26 |
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| 70 | 70 | | Violations shall be investigated and prosecuted by the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of 27 |
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| 71 | 71 | | Cruelty to Animals. 28 |
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| 72 | 72 | | (e) Implementation. 29 |
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| 73 | 73 | | An advisory committee consisting of representatives from Foster Parrots, Ltd and Rhode 30 |
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| 74 | 74 | | Island Parrot Rescue shall assist pet stores as they work to comply with subsection (b) of this 31 |
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| 75 | 75 | | section. The committee will remain in effect for eighteen (18) months after the effective date of 32 |
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| 76 | 76 | | this section and will issue an implementation status report at the end of its term. 33 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (f) Severability. 34 |
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| 78 | 78 | | |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | LC001878 - Page 3 of 4 |
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| 81 | 81 | | The invalidity of any subsection or provision of this section shall not invalidate any other 1 |
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| 82 | 82 | | subsection or provision and the application of those subsections or provisions shall not be affected 2 |
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| 83 | 83 | | and shall remain in full force and effect. 3 |
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| 84 | 84 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 85 | 85 | | ======== |
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| 86 | 86 | | LC001878 |
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| 87 | 87 | | ======== |
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| 88 | 88 | | |
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| 89 | 89 | | |
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| 90 | 90 | | LC001878 - Page 4 of 4 |
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| 91 | 91 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 92 | 92 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 93 | 93 | | OF |
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| 94 | 94 | | A N A C T |
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| 95 | 95 | | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- PSITTACINE BIRDS |
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| 96 | 96 | | *** |
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| 97 | 97 | | This act would ban the sale of parrots at pet stores from a breeder or broker; provided, 1 |
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| 98 | 98 | | however, that pet stores would be allowed to sell parrots obtained from animal care facilities or 2 |
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| 99 | 99 | | animal rescue organizations. Sale of parrots would be prohibited at any outdoor markets or public 3 |
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| 100 | 100 | | areas. Violators would be subject to a civil fine with enforcement by the Rhode Island society for 4 |
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| 101 | 101 | | the prevention of cruelty to animals (RISPCA). 5 |
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| 102 | 102 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 6 |
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| 104 | 104 | | LC001878 |
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