New York S 8581: Relates to establishing a duty to report an unauthorized use of force by a police officer

Bill Text

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S08581 Summary:

BILL NOS08581 

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SAME ASSAME AS A09150

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SPONSORCOMRIE

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Rpld §353-a, amd §374, Ag & Mkts L; add Art 243 §§243.00 - 243.05, amd §70.02, Pen L; amd §6714, Ed L; amd
§17-1601, NYC Ad Cd

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Makes aggravated cruelty to animals a class E violent felony offense; defines terms; makes technical changes.

Go to top S08581 Actions:

BILL NOS08581 

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11/14/2025REFERRED TO RULES

01/07/2026REFERRED TO CODES

Go to topS08581 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS08581 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS08581 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 8581

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 November 14, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

 AN ACT to amend the penal law, the agriculture and markets law, the
 education law and the administrative code of the city of New York, in
 relation to the crime of aggravated cruelty to animals; and to repeal
 section 353-a of the agriculture and markets law relating thereto

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Section 353-a of the agriculture and markets law is
 2 REPEALED.
 3 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new article 243 to read as
 4 follows:
 5 ARTICLE 243
 6 OFFENSES AGAINST ANIMALS
 7 Section 243.00 Definitions.
 8 243.05 Aggravated cruelty to animals.
 9 § 243.00 Definitions.
 10 For purposes of this article,
 11 1. "Aggravated cruelty" shall mean conduct which: (a) is intended to
 12 cause extreme physical pain; or (b) is done or carried out in an espe-
 13 cially depraved or sadistic manner.
 14 2. "Companion animal" shall mean any dog or cat, and shall also mean
 15 any other domesticated animal normally maintained in or near the house-
 16 hold of the owner or person who cares for such other domesticated
 17 animal. "Companion animal" shall not include a "farm animal" as defined
 18 in this section.
 19 3. "Farm animal" shall mean any ungulate, poultry, species of cattle,
 20 sheep, swine, goats, llamas, horses or fur-bearing animals, as defined
 21 in section 11-1907 of the environmental conservation law, which are
 22 raised for commercial or subsistence purposes. Fur-bearing animal shall
 23 not include dogs or cats.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD13824-02-5

 S. 8581 2

 1 § 243.05 Aggravated cruelty to animals.
 2 1. A person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals when, with no
 3 justifiable purpose, such person intentionally kills or intentionally
 4 causes serious physical injury to a companion animal with aggravated
 5 cruelty.
 6 2. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit or
 7 interfere in any way with anyone lawfully engaged in hunting, trapping,
 8 or fishing, as provided in article eleven of the environmental conserva-
 9 tion law, the dispatch of rabid or diseased animals, as provided in
 10 article twenty-one of the public health law, or the dispatch of animals
 11 posing a threat to human safety or other animals, where such action is
 12 otherwise legally authorized, or any properly conducted scientific
 13 tests, experiments, or investigations involving the use of living
 14 animals, performed or conducted in laboratories or institutions approved
 15 for such purposes by the commissioner of health pursuant to section
 16 three hundred fifty-three of the agriculture and markets law.
 17 3. Aggravated cruelty to animals is a class E felony.
 18 § 3. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 70.02 of the penal law,
 19 as amended by chapter 7 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as
 20 follows:
 21 (d) Class E violent felony offenses: an attempt to commit any of the
 22 felonies of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree as
 23 defined in subdivision five, six, seven or eight of section 265.02 as a
 24 lesser included offense of that section as defined in section 220.20 of
 25 the criminal procedure law, persistent sexual abuse as defined in
 26 section 130.53, aggravated sex