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A1122
ASSEMBLY, No. 1122
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Speight and Flynn
SYNOPSIS
���� Waives pet adoption fees for certain military
personnel and veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning pet adoption fees for military
personnel and veterans and supplementing P.L.1941 c.151 (C.4:19-15.1 et seq.).
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.�� No kennel, shelter,
or pound, that is owned and operated by a local government unit, shall charge a
pet adoption fee for a domestic companion animal to a person who is:
���� (1)�� an active member of the
New Jersey National Guard who has completed Initial Active Duty Training;
���� (2)�� an active member of any
branch or department of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a reserve
component thereof; or
���� (3)�� a veteran.
���� b.��� The Secretary of
Agriculture shall prescribe by rule or regulation the types of evidence that
may be used to qualify a person for the benefit established pursuant to this
section.�
���� c.���� The owner or operator
of a kennel, shelter, or pound may review the pet adoption fee and, if
appropriate, adjust the pet adoption fee to offset any cost increases
associated with forgoing the pet adoption fee for eligible individuals pursuant
to subsection a. of this section.�
���� d.��� As used in this section:
���� "Domestic companion
animal" means any animal commonly referred to as a pet or one that has
been bought, bred, raised or otherwise acquired, in accordance with local
ordinances and State and federal law, for the primary purpose of providing
companionship to the owner, rather than for business or agricultural purposes.�
���� "Initial Active Duty
Training" means Basic Military Training, for members of the New Jersey Air
National Guard, and Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, for
members of the New Jersey Army National Guard.
���� "Kennel" means a kennel
as defined in section 1 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.1).
���� �Pet adoption fee� means any
costs related to a veterinary wellness visit and exam, spaying or neutering,
distemper vaccination, bordetella vaccination, rabies vaccination, deworming
medication, flea and tick treatment, canine heartworm test, feline leukemia
test, spay and neuter surgery, follow-up examination, collar and an
identification tag, and administrative charges.
���� �Pound� means a pound as
defined in section 1 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.1).
���� �Shelter� means a shelter as
defined in section 1 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.1).
���� �Veteran� means any resident
of the State who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable
circumstances from active military service in any of the Armed Forces of the
United States, or a reserve component thereof, or any honorably discharged
member of the American Merchant Marine who served during World War II and is
declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal
veterans' benefits and any officer, soldier, sailor, marine, airman, nurse or
army field clerk, who has served in the active military or naval service of the
United States and has or shall be discharged or released therefrom under
conditions other than dishonorable.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
����
This bill would provide that the following persons would be
entitled to adopt a domestic companion animal without paying a pet adoption fee
from a licensed kennel, shelter, or pound: (1) an active member of the New
Jersey National Guard who has completed Initial Active Duty Training; (2) an
active member of any branch or department of the Armed Forces of the United
States, or reserves component thereof; and (3) a veteran.
����� The bill authorizes the owner or operator of a
kennel, shelter, or pound to review and adjust the pet adoption fee to offset
any cost increases associated with forgoing the pet adoption fee for eligible
military personnel and veterans.