H4319 • 2025

An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops

Agriculture

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Adam J. Scanlon
Last action: 2026-05-07
Official status: Accompanied a study order, see H5369 (under House Rule 27)
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops

An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops By Representative Scanlon of North Attleborough, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Adam J.

What This Bill Does

An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops By Representative Scanlon of North Attleborough, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Adam J.
Scanlon and Manny Cruz for legislation to further regulate the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops.
Agriculture.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-07 House
Accompanied a study order, see H5369 (under House Rule 27)
2025-10-10 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 10/21/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1
2025-09-08 Senate
Senate concurred
2025-09-04 House
Discharged to the committee on Environment and Natural Resources
2025-07-24 Senate
Senate concurred
2025-04-03 House
Reported, referred to the committee on Joint Rules, reported, rules suspended and referred to the committee on Agriculture
2025-03-27 House
Referred to the committee on House Rules
House
Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops
By Representative Scanlon of North Attleborough, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Adam J. Scanlon and Manny Cruz for legislation to further regulate the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in pet shops. Agriculture.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Bill H.4319

SECTION 1. Section 39A of chapter 129 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 1, before the word “Every”, the following letter:- (a)

SECTION 2. Said section 39A of said chapter 129 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 13, the word “section”, and inserting in place thereof the following word:- subsection

SECTION 3. Said section 39A of said chapter 129 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after subsection (a) the following 3 subsections:-

(b) No person engaged in the business of operating a pet shop for which a license must be obtained pursuant to subsection (a); and are regulated under 330 CMR 12.00 shall sell or offer for sale a dog, cat, rabbit, or guinea pig.

(c) Subsection (b) shall not be construed to prohibit a pet shop from offering space to an animal rescue or shelter organization to showcase dogs, cats, rabbits, or guinea pigs for adoption so long as the pet shop does not have an ownership interest in the animals offered for adoption.

(d) Nothing in subsections (b) or (c) shall affect the authority of any town, city, or other locality to regulate or prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, rabbits or guinea pigs.

SECTION 4. This act shall go into effect 90 days after its passage.

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