HB 231-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2023 SESSION

23-0384

08/05

 

HOUSE BILL 231-FN

 

AN ACT prohibiting the removal of claws from cats.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Bordes, Belk. 5; Rep. Read, Rock. 10

 

COMMITTEE: Environment and Agriculture

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill creates a criminal penalty for declawing a cat.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

23-0384

08/05

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three

 

AN ACT prohibiting the removal of claws from cats.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  New Section; Removal of Claws from Cats.  Amend RSA 644 by inserting after section 8-g the following new section:

644:8-h  Removal of Claws from Cats Prohibited.  

I.  No person shall remove the claws of a cat by performing an onychectomy, partial or complete phalangectomy, or a tendonectomy, by any means, on a cat except when necessary in order to address the physical medical condition of the cat, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claw that compromises the cat's health.  No person shall remove the claws of a cat for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or for reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the cat.

II.  Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a violation and subject to a civil penalty of $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for the second violation, and $2,500 for any subsequent violation.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2024.

 

LBA

23-0384

12/22/22

 

HB 231-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT prohibiting the removal of claws from cats.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [ X ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

   Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Revenue

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

   Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Funding Source:

  [ X ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [    ] Other

 

 

 

 

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes a violation level offense that may result in civil actions and penalties for declawing a cat.  There is no method to determine how many charges, if any, would be brought as a result of this bill to determine the fiscal impact on expenditures.  The Judicial Branch has indicated the potential cost per case for violation level offenses would be $122 in FY 2024 (not including appeals).

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Judicial Branch