Letter offering recommendations to legislation regulating the pet grooming industry

SUMMARY

The Animal Law Committee (Lori Barrett, Chair) sent a letter to state legislators with respect to a bill aimed at regulating the pet grooming industry. The bill, if enacted, would purportedly “provide for the certification and regulation of pet groomers and pet grooming facilities.”  Although lauding the bill sponsors’ efforts to provide a measure of oversight and thereby decrease the number of pet injuries and deaths that occur at the hands of inexperienced or unregulated pet groomers, the Committee points to a number of flaws in the bill as currently drafted that may lead to unintended results, including confusion about the kinds of groomers and facilities subject to regulation, uncertainty about the kinds of conduct that could lead to license penalties, and the fact that the bill, as drafted, seems to apply only to pet groomers currently in the industry and not those that might enter it in the future. The Committee invites opportunities to discuss these and other concerns with the sponsors of the bill and offers its assistance in efforts to improve the proposed legislation.

BILL INFORMATION

A.2204 (AM McDonough) / S.3682 (Sen. Kennedy) – provides for the certification and regulation of pet groomers and pet grooming facilities; establishes standards of care, training and testing (NYS 2015-16)