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Monica Martinez

Sponsor · State Senator, District 4 · Democratic/Working Families

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With 31 cosponsors on Agora

Senate bill · S197 (2025-26)

Relates to the sentencing for the crime of aggravated cruelty to animals

Latest action May 13, 2026

New York State Senate

Same as A3050, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Summary

Enacts "Tucker's law"; removes the provision that provides that any term of imprisonment for a violation of aggravated cruelty to animals may not exceed two years.

Summary from NY Open Legislation. How we handle summaries

Amends the Agriculture and Markets Law.

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Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Up for a vote
  4. Passed one chamber
  5. Passed
  6. Enacted

Committee

Agriculture · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Agriculture · New York State Senate, Codes · New York State Assembly, Codes · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

To allow for a judge to exercise their discretion to order consecutive or concurrent sentences when an individual is convicted of multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateMay 5, 2026Result: passed

    (60) (2) (0) (1)
  • Vote: Committee vote · Agriculture

    Senate AgricultureMar 10, 2026Result: passed

    (8) (0) (0) (1)
  • Vote: Floor vote

    NY SenateApr 8, 2025Result: passed

    (61) (1) (0) (1)
  • Vote: Committee vote · Agriculture

    Senate AgricultureMar 18, 2025Result: passed

    (9) (0) (0) (0)

The sponsor's argument

Why Monica Martinez says this is needed

In 2022, a man pleaded guilty to several acts of animal cruelty occur- ring within weeks of each other. He fatally beat two puppies and injured a third resulting in a lost leg. One of the deaths involved a shepherd mix named Tucker. Tucker was adopted out from North Shore Animal League and was then beaten so fatally he died a week later from a kidney rupture. The man eventually admitted to intentionally inflicting deadly blunt force trauma to Tucker and the other animals involved. While the man committed three different crimes, he could only serve the maximum sentence of two years in prison. Under current law, aggravated animal cruelty carries a definite sentence of two-years regardless of how many acts of violence are committed against multiple animals. Remov- ing the language that requires aggravated cruelty to be treated as a definite sentence is necessary to deter acts of violence against animals and hold perpetrators accountable.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

  1. May 13, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES

    NY Assembly

  2. May 5, 2026

    Sent to the executive

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  3. May 5, 2026

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  4. May 5, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO CODES

    NY Assembly

  5. Mar 31, 2026

    Reported out of committee

    REPORTED REFERRED TO CODES

    NY Assembly

Show full history (14 earlier events)
  1. Mar 12, 2026

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

  2. Mar 11, 2026

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  3. Mar 10, 2026

    1ST Report CAL.511

    1ST REPORT CAL.511

    NY Senate

  4. Jan 7, 2026

    Died in Assembly

    DIED IN ASSEMBLY

    NY Assembly

  5. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

    NY Assembly

  6. Jan 7, 2026

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

    NY Senate

  7. Apr 8, 2025

    Sent to the executive

    DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

    NY Senate

  8. Apr 8, 2025

    Passed a chamber

    PASSED SENATE

    NY Senate

  9. Apr 8, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

    NY Assembly

  10. Mar 20, 2025

    Advanced to Third Reading

    ADVANCED TO THIRD READING

    NY Senate

  11. Mar 19, 2025

    2ND Report CAL.

    2ND REPORT CAL.

    NY Senate

  12. Mar 18, 2025

    1ST Report CAL.571

    1ST REPORT CAL.571

    NY Senate

  13. Jan 23, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

    NY Assembly

  14. Jan 8, 2025

    Referred to committee

    REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

    NY Senate

From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 31, 2026. About our data

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