Animal cruelty; companion animals, penalty.

Animal cruelty; companion animals; penalty. Clarifies that dogs and cats in the possession of a person who or an entity that breeds dogs or cats for sale or transfer to an animal research facility are considered companion animals for the purposes of animal cruelty statutes. The bill also provides that breeding dogs or cats for sale or transfer to a research facility, or breeding dogs or cats within a research facility, does not constitute bona fide scientific or medical experimentation for purposes of animal cruelty statutes. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act and do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2023 Session of the General Assembly.