AB1073: Bill Text

LRB-6100/1

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2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 1073

March 3, 2022 - Introduced by Representatives Emerson, Shelton, Pope, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Baldeh, Billings, Cabral-Guevara, Doyle, Riemer, Spreitzer and Stubbs, cosponsored by Senators Carpenter, Erpenbach and Smith. Referred to Committee on State Affairs.

AB1073,1,2 An Act to create 89.067 of the statutes; relating to: prohibiting cat declawing procedures.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill prohibits persons, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians, from performing a declawing procedure on a cat, except for a declawing procedure performed for therapeutic purposes, as determined by a veterinarian. The bill defines “declawing procedures” as onychectomies, partial or complete phalangectomies, partial digital amputations, tendonectomies, or other procedures to prevent the normal functioning of a cat's toes, claws, or paws.

Current law requires a person to have a license or permit from the Veterinary Examining Board to practice veterinary medicine, and current law authorizes the examining board to discipline veterinarians and veterinary technicians for violating laws related to the practice of veterinary medicine.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB1073,1 Section 1. 89.067 of the statutes is created to read:

AB1073,1,4 89.067 Cat declawing procedures prohibited. (1) In this section:

AB1073,2,3 (a) “Declawing procedure” means an onychectomy, partial or complete phalangectomy, partial digital amputation, tendonectomy, or other procedure to alter a cat's toes, claws, or paws to prevent the normal functioning of the cat's toes, claws, or paws. “Declawing procedure” does not include the trimming of nonviable claw husk or placing nonpermanent nail caps.

AB1073,2,6 (b) “Onychectomy” means a procedure in which a portion of the paw of a cat is amputated to remove or disable a claw, including, without limitation, procedures commonly referred to as declawing.

AB1073,2,8 (c) “Partial digital amputation” means a procedure for the excision of some or all of one or more of the phalanges of the paw of a cat.

AB1073,2,10 (d) “Phalangectomy” means a procedure for the excision of one or more of the phalanges of the paw of a cat.

AB1073,2,12 (e) “Tendonectomy” means a procedure in which the tendons to the limbs, paws, or toes of a cat are cut or modified so that the cat's claws cannot function normally.

AB1073,2,17 (f) “Therapeutic purpose” means addressing an existing or recurring infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claw of a cat that jeopardizes the cat's health and only when addressing that infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition is a medical necessity. “Therapeutic purpose” does not include cosmetic or aesthetic purposes or making a cat more convenient to keep or handle.

AB1073,2,20 (2) No person may remove or disable a cat's claws by performing a declawing procedure, except that a person may perform a declawing procedure solely for a therapeutic purpose, as determined by a veterinarian.

AB1073,2,21 (End)