H 967

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1530  FILED ON: 1/15/2025
  HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 967
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _________________
  PRESENTED BY:
  Natalie M. Higgins and Kimberly N. Ferguson
  _________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
        Court assembled:
        The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
  An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops.
  _______________
  PETITION OF:
NAME:  DISTRICT/ADDRESS:  DATE ADDED:
Natalie M. Higgins  4th Worcester  1/15/2025
Kimberly N. Ferguson  1st Worcester  1/15/2025
Lindsay N. Sabadosa  1st Hampshire  1/21/2025
Brian W. Murray  10th Worcester  1/31/2025
Samantha Montaño  15th Suffolk  2/4/2025
Steven Owens  29th Middlesex  2/4/2025
Christopher Hendricks  11th Bristol  2/4/2025
Marcus S. Vaughn  9th Norfolk  2/5/2025
Brian M. Ashe  2nd Hampden  2/5/2025
Rodney M. Elliott  16th Middlesex  2/6/2025
Mike Connolly  26th Middlesex  2/7/2025
Hannah Kane  11th Worcester  2/7/2025
James K. Hawkins  2nd Bristol  2/8/2025
Joseph D. McKenna  18th Worcester  2/8/2025
Tara T. Hong  18th Middlesex  2/8/2025
Manny Cruz  7th Essex  2/10/2025
Christine P. Barber  34th Middlesex  2/11/2025
James C. Arena-DeRosa  8th Middlesex  2/14/2025
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Jennifer Balinsky Armini      8th Essex  2/14/2025
Marjorie C. Decker  25th Middlesex  2/18/2025
Vanna Howard  17th Middlesex  2/18/2025
Carole A. Fiola  6th Bristol  2/19/2025
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf   17th Worcester  2/27/2025
William C. Galvin  6th Norfolk  2/27/2025
Bruce E. Tarr  First Essex and Middlesex   2/27/2025
Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.      28th Middlesex  2/27/2025
Kathleen R. LaNatra  12th Plymouth  3/4/2025
William F. MacGregor  10th Suffolk  3/4/2025
Dennis C. Gallagher  8th Plymouth  3/4/2025
Patrick Joseph Kearney        4th Plymouth  3/4/2025
Homar Gómez  2nd Hampshire  3/4/2025
Adam J. Scanlon  14th Bristol  3/4/2025
Steven S. Howitt  4th Bristol  3/4/2025
Leigh Davis  3rd Berkshire  3/4/2025
Carmine Lawrence Gentile      13th Middlesex  3/4/2025
Michael J. Finn  6th Hampden  3/5/2025
Danillo A. Sena  37th Middlesex  3/5/2025
Bradley H. Jones, Jr.  20th Middlesex  3/5/2025
Paul K. Frost  7th Worcester  3/5/2025
Steven George Xiarhos  5th Barnstable  3/5/2025
David F. DeCoste  5th Plymouth  3/5/2025
Hadley Luddy  4th Barnstable  3/5/2025
Paul McMurtry  11th Norfolk  3/5/2025
Sean Reid  11th Essex  3/6/2025
Natalie M. Blais  1st Franklin  3/6/2025
Adrianne Pusateri Ramos       14th Essex  3/7/2025
Jay D. Livingstone  8th Suffolk  3/7/2025
John J. Marsi  6th Worcester  3/7/2025
Kevin G. Honan  17th Suffolk  3/7/2025
Adrian C. Madaro  1st Suffolk  3/16/2025
David M. Rogers  24th Middlesex  3/16/2025
Jonathan D. Zlotnik  2nd Worcester  3/16/2025
Michael P. Kushmerek  3rd Worcester  3/28/2025
Tricia Farley-Bouvier  2nd Berkshire  3/28/2025
Tommy Vitolo  15th Norfolk  4/7/2025
Margaret R. Scarsdale  1st Middlesex  4/8/2025
Greg Schwartz  12th Middlesex  4/8/2025
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Estela A. Reyes  4th Essex  4/18/2025
Michelle L. Badger       1st Plymouth  4/23/2025
Michelle M. DuBois       10th Plymouth  4/23/2025
Colleen M. Garry  36th Middlesex  4/23/2025
Jack Patrick Lewis       7th Middlesex  5/5/2025
John Barrett, III        1st Berkshire  5/5/2025
James Arciero  2nd Middlesex  6/11/2025
John Francis Moran       9th Suffolk  6/17/2025
Mindy Domb  3rd Hampshire  6/23/2025
Jessica Ann Giannino     16th Suffolk  6/27/2025
Meghan K. Kilcoyne       12th Worcester  7/7/2025
James B. Eldridge        Middlesex and Worcester  7/23/2025
Thomas M. Stanley        9th Middlesex  7/29/2025
Bruce J. Ayers  1st Norfolk  10/21/2025
Kristin E. Kassner       2nd Essex  10/22/2025
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.   12th Hampden  10/22/2025
Erika Uyterhoeven        27th Middlesex  11/5/2025
Thomas W. Moakley        Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket   2/3/2026
Amy Mah Sangiolo  11th Middlesex  2/23/2026
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  HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1530  FILED ON: 1/15/2025
        HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 967
     By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Ferguson of Holden, a petition (accompanied by
     bill, House, No. 967) of Natalie M. Higgins, Kimberly N. Ferguson and others for legislation to
     further regulate to sale of certain domestic animals. Environment and Natural Resources.
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
     An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
     of the same, as follows:
 1  SECTION 1. Section 39A of chapter 129 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
 2   Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 1, before the word “Every”, the
 3   following letter:- (a)
 4  SECTION 2. Said section 39A is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 13, the
 5   word “section”, and inserting in place thereof the following word:- subsection
 6  SECTION 3. Said section 39A is hereby further amended by inserting after subsection (a)
 7   the following 4 subsections:-
 8  (b) No person engaged in the business of operating a pet shop regulated under 330 CMR
 9   12.00 for which a license must be obtained pursuant to subsection (a) shall sell or offer for sale a
10   dog, cat, or rabbit.
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11  (c) Subsection (b) shall not be construed to prohibit a pet shop regulated under 330 CMR
12   12.00 from offering space to an animal rescue or shelter organization to showcase dogs, cats, or
13   rabbits for adoption so long as the pet shop does not have an ownership interest in the animals
14   offered for adoption.
15  (d) Subsection (b) shall not apply to a pet shop lawfully selling or offering for sale dogs,
16   cats, or rabbits in the Commonwealth on or before the effective date of this act, provided that: (i)
17   the pet shop maintains a valid license to operate and engage in such sales; (ii) the pet shop
18   remains in the same ownership as existed on the effective date of this act; (iii) the pet shop sells
19   or offers for sale dogs, cats, or rabbits only from the location listed on the applicable license; and
20   (iv) the specific type of animal sold by the pet shop, whether dog, cat, or rabbit, is an animal that
21   the pet shop is documented to have engaged in selling or offering for sale for at least one year
22   prior to the effective date of this act.
23  (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 43 of this chapter, a person who violates
24   subsection (b) of this section shall be: (i) assessed a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for the
25   first offense, not more than $2,500 for the second offense, and not more than $5,000 for third and
26   subsequent offenses; and (ii) subject to suspension or revocation of the pet shop license. Each
27   advertisement or offer for sale or actual sale of an animal in violation of subsection (b) shall
28   constitute a separate violation.
29  SECTION 4. Nothing in section 39A of chapter 129 of the General Laws shall affect the
30   authority of any town, city, or other locality to regulate or prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, or
31   rabbits.
32  SECTION 5. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.
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