Two legislative committees have unanimously approved an animal abuse registry law, to be commonly known as “Rocky’s Law.” The law will now be up for a vote by the full Orange Country Legislature on May 7.
On April 22, the Rules Committee, on which Legislator Kevin Hines sits, approved the law by a vote of 7-0. Hines chairs the Public Safety Committee, which approved the law the following day by a vote of 5-0.
“I supported it from day one,” Hines said. “It’s going to give people the resources to not sell pets to individuals who are known abusers. A pet store can look at this registry on the county web site and say I can’t sell to this guy because he has a prior issue.”
The law was introduced by Legislator Mike Anagnostakis during a press conference earlier this month. It’s his belief those convicted of an animal abuse crime should be prohibited from owning another animal. With no laws on the books, a judge may only issue a slap on the wrist or a small fine before returning an animal to its abuser.
The law is named after Rocky, a Staffordshire terrier that had to be euthanized after his owner left him in the freezing cold for weeks without food, water, or shelter.
During each of the committee meetings, Anagnostakis made a five-minute presentation and then fielded questions from the members. He was asked about other places which have a similar law, as well as the cost to maintain the registry. Six other New York counties, as well as New York City, have a registry law, but none are as tough as the proposed law in Orange County. There would be no cost to the taxpayers as the offender would need to pay $125 to get onto the registry.
Rocky’s Law already has the support of 11 legislators, including Anagnostakis. Two legislators serve on both voting committees. Only 12 of the 21 legislators are needed to approve the law officially.
The public is invited to attend the May 7 meeting which will be held at the Emergency 911 building, 22 Wells Farm Road, Goshen, at 7 p.m. Those in attendance may sign up to speak for a maximum of three minutes.
ABOUT THE LAW
If a person is found guilty of animal abuse, the individual will be required to register with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and remain on the list for 15 years. An individual would remain on the registry for life in the event of a second offense.
An individual has five days to register by providing his/her name, aliases, date of birth, residence, and headshot. The Sheriff’s Department provides information on the nature of the crime. Failure to register within five days could result in a penalty of up to one year in prison and/or a $2,000 fine.
If an individual tries to obtain an animal while on the registry, the person could face a prison sentence of up to two years and/or a $10,000 fine.
The law also includes up to a $5,000 penalty for those who try to sell an animal to someone on the registry.
The law would finally link to other existing registries, as well as any that may be created in the future.
