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CT's laws for municipal animal shelters changing for the first time in decades

By October, shelters will have to be up to code.

NEWINGTON, Conn. — It’s been decades since municipal animal shelters in Connecticut have seen any changes in the regulatory process. In some cases, it has caused inhumane conditions in shelters. That shouldn’t happen now, after a new set of bills was recently signed by Gov. Ned Lamont. 

Those bills are HB 5575, and HB 6714. The first bill calls for better regulation of the temperature in shelters, sets standards for sanitary and housing conditions, and changes the reporting process in the case of a violation. For example, the animal control officer in that town, city, or region needs to inform the Department of Agriculture within five days of an investigation of a complaint. Within 30 days, that report needs to go to the chief elected official of the municipality. 

The second bill better defines bestiality, and puts a possessions ban in place. That means if someone is convicted of animal cruelty, they will be banned from owning, adopting or volunteering with animals for five years from the date of their conviction. 

The bills passed in the 11th hour of the latest legislative session. 

James Bias, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Humane Society, had a front-row seat during the process. 

“Most municipal and regional shelters are complying with the same standards as the private nonprofit shelters. But, there are still some holding out because, legislatively, they’re not required to," Bias said. 

In 2017, municipal shelters were left out of regulatory changes created for nonprofits like the Humane Society.  Now, municipal shelters have a new set of their own rules.

"Specifically, temperature. We now have to have municipal shelters that have a temperature range between 55 and 80," Bias said.  

Before, shelters could keep animals in rooms that were up to 90°F. The new law also requires separating incompatible and sick animals from others. 

It may seem like common sense, but in some cases, shelters weren’t doing that. The state's Department of Agriculture will now make sure of it. 

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"They have to report it back to the agency within five days, and then notify the highest elected official in that community," Bias said. 

One of the lawmakers behind the entire process was State Rep. Linda Borer. 

“If there’s a violation now, there’s accountability and there’s transparency, that’s exactly why we passed the bill," Rep. Borer said. 

Municipal shelters now have until October to make changes to their facilities, which is when the law officially goes into effect.

“Doing everything we can for their short stay with us to keep their minds fresh, keep their bodies healthy," Bias said. 

Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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