HB85 By Representative Brown RFD Public Safety and Homeland Security Rd 1 03-MAR-15

SYNOPSIS: This bill would require an animal shelter owner, operator, manager, or director to compile and make available a monthly report detailing the number of animals that have entered the facility or organization and the disposition of the animals.

This bill would further require that the operator, owner, manager, or director make available this data to the public upon request.

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

Relating to animal control; to require an animal shelter owner, operator, manager, or director to report the total number of animals that have entered the facility and the disposition of the animals; and to make the report available to the public upon request.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:

Section 1. This act shall be known and cited as the "Animal Census Reporting Act."

Section 2. For purposes of this act, the following words have the following meanings:

(1) ANIMAL SHELTER. A public or private facility, which includes a physical structure that provides temporary or permanent shelter to stray, abandoned, abused, or owner-surrendered animals that is operated, owned, or maintained by any municipality, county, duly incorporated humane society, animal welfare society, or other nonprofit organization for the purpose of promoting the welfare, protection, and humane treatment of animals. The term "animal shelter" does not include persons providing temporary foster care to animals in their homes or animal rescue groups or animal sanctuaries sheltering animals on an individual's property.

(2) PUBLISH. To make available through either electronic means or on paper.

Section 3. On a monthly basis, each animal shelter owner, operator, manager, or director shall compile a report containing all of the following information:

(1) The number of animals of each species taken in from all of the following sources:

a. Owner surrenders.

b. Strays.

c. Other animal shelters.

d. Animal control.

e. Other.

(2) The number of animals which have been:

a. Adopted.

b. Released to or claimed by the owner or owners.

c. Transferred to other animal shelter facilities or released to animal rescue organizations and a list of the names of the receiving organizations.

d. Euthanized for any of the following reasons:

1. Overcrowding.

2. Health.

3. Behavior.

e. Died from other causes.

f. Transferred to a research laboratory, school, college, university, or agency that supplies or brokers animals to these facilities.

g. Sterilized after arrival.

(3) The costs incurred by the animal shelter for housing, maintenance, feeding, medications, transfer, euthanasia, and other expenses related to the care of the animals and their disposition, excluding salary and benefits paid to employees.

Section 4. (a) Each animal shelter shall report the information required in Section 3 no later than 30 days after the end of each month. Each animal shelter shall make the report available to the public upon request. The animal shelter may compile, publish, computerize, and enter the data or information required in Section 3 in a form which is compatible with any system utilized by the animal shelter as long as the information required in Section 3 is included in the report.

(b) The animal shelter may charge a reasonable fee for a copy of the report. Each animal shelter shall maintain the annual reports for a minimum of three years.

(c) Reports under this act shall be considered a public record and access to the reports shall not be denied for any reason.

(d) Any report compiled by the owner, operator, manager, or director of an animal shelter pursuant to this act shall include a statement by the person preparing the report certifying that the report is true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge.

Section 5. This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.

Animals

Animal Shelters