A2516

An Act concerning access to responsibly bred animals in the State.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established a Working Group on Responsible Animal Breeding in the Department of Agriculture.

b. The working group shall ensure that citizens of New Jersey have access to the purebred animal of their choice and, at a minimum, shall:

(1) develop legislative, administrative, and policy recommendations to ensure that animal breeders and retail outlets in the State verify their animals are purebred and bred responsibly;

(2) develop a process to ensure ethical breeding practices in all areas of the State;

(3) study and make recommendations on strategies to eliminate unethical animal breeding practices in the State by animal breeders and retail outlets; and

(4) develop a plan to implement their legislative, administrative, and policy recommendations.

c. The working group shall be comprised of five members. The Commissioner of Health and the Secretary of Agriculture shall confer and jointly select one representative from each of the following organizations:

(1) an independent animal rights organization headquartered in the State;

(2) the New Coalition of Responsible Pet Stores;

(3) the American Kennel Club;

(4) the New Jersey Farm Bureau; and

(5) the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs.

d. All appointments to the working group shall be made no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the working group shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. The working group shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members. The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall select a chairperson, who may appoint a secretary which need not be a member of the working group.

e. The members of the working group shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, within the limits of funds made available to the working group for its purposes.

f. The working group shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.

g. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health shall confer and provide staffing and administrative support to the working group.

h. No later than one year after its organization, the working group shall prepare and submit to the Governor, and pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, a report detailing the findings and recommendations of the working group, including recommendations for legislative and administrative action to ensure that citizens of New Jersey have access to the purebred animal of their choice by providing for the responsible breeding of animals for purchase in the State.

2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the report by the working group pursuant to subsection h. of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Responsible Animal Breeding Working Group within the Department of Agriculture, a five-member working group to ensure that citizens of the State have access to a responsibly bred purebred animal of their choice. The working group would, at a minimum, develop legislative, administrative, and policy recommendations to ensure that animal breeders and retail outlets in the State verify their animals are purebred and bred responsibly and make recommendations on the strategies to eliminate the unethical breeding of animals by retail outlets and animal breeders in the State. The working group’s membership, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, would include one individual from the following groups: an independent animal rights organization headquartered in New Jersey, the New Coalition of Responsible Pet Stores; the American Kennel Club, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the and New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs. The bill requires the working group to submit to the Governor and the Legislature, no later than 12 months after its formation, a report detailing the findings and recommendations of the working group, including recommendations for legislative and administrative action to ensure that citizens of New Jersey have access to the purebred animal of their choice by providing for the responsible breeding of animals for purchase in the State. Under the bill, the working group would expire upon submission of the final report to the Governor and Legislature.