Please add your name in support of a ban on declawing cats in Rhode Island in 2025:
Letters are going to the RI Senate President, Senate Committee members, RI House Speaker, and House Committee members.
Please send your full name, address, and email to [email protected]

Rhode Island General Assembly animal-related Legislation as of Condition March 25, 2024:

House Bill No. 7886 By Lima, Cardillo, Costantino, Phillips, O'Brien, Solomon, Baginski, J. Brien, Fenton-Fung, Hull (Bans the sale of cosmetics developed/manufactured using animal testing. A violation would be a $1,000 fine for each offense.) 03/12/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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House Bill No. 7234 By Serpa, Phillips, J. Brien, Solomon, Fellela, O'Brien, McEntee, Lima, Costantino
(Prohibits a medical training program from using a live animal while teaching medical procedures if any other accredited training program does not use animals or there is an alternate method that teaches the lesson without the use of an animal.) 02/08/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study


Senate Bill No. 2398
BY Burke, Tikoian, LaMountain, McKenney, Gallo, F. Lombardi (Prohibits a medical training program from using a live animal while teaching medical procedures if any other accredited training program does not use animals or there is an alternate method that teaches the lesson without the use of an animal.) 02/12/2024 Introduced, referred to Senate Health and Human Services
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Senate Bill No. 2007 by Murray, Valverde, Lauria, Tikoian, Euer, Miller, DiMario, Mack, Britto (Prohibits the declawing of cats by any surgical procedure to amputate or modify a portion of a cat's paw in order to remove the cat's claws. Does not apply to any procedure performed for a therapeutic purpose.)
referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture
03/13/2024 Committee recommends passage

House Bill No. 7052 By O'Brien, Serpa, Lima, McEntee, Cardillo, Finkelman, Kennedy, DeSimone, Spears, Dawson (Prohibits the declawing of cats by any surgical procedure to amputate or modify a portion of a cat's paw in order to remove the cat's claws. Does not apply to any procedure performed for a therapeutic purpose.) 02/01/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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House Bill No. 7163 by J. Lombardi, Hull, Ajello, Felix, Stewart, Tanzi (Permits the family court to award custody of household pets to the plaintiff in a domestic abuse complaint, including the enforcement remedy of a restraining order or other injunctive relief.) 02/01/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

House Bill No. 7970 by Lima, Knight, Costantino, Solomon, Baginski, J. Brien, Fenton-Fung, Hull, Biah, DeSimone (Creates a custody procedure for pets in divorce and separation proceedings based on the best interests of the animal. This act would not apply to assistance/service animals.) 03/05/2024 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
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House Bill No. 7075 by Edwards, Diaz, Bennett, Serpa, Potter, Chippendale (Provides that the trapping and subsequent release of any unowned feral or free roaming cat for the purpose of spaying or neutering of the cat would not be considered abandonment.) 2/01/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2305 by Euer (Provides that the trapping and subsequent release of any unowned feral or free roaming cat for the purpose of spaying or neutering of the cat would not be considered abandonment.) referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture 03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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House Bill No. 7294 By Slater, Diaz, Bennett, O'Brien
(Prohibits captive hunting for domestic or wild animals and does not prohibit the release of upland game birds for hunting on licensed shooting preserves.) 02/06/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2732 by LaMountain, DiMario, Miller
(Prohibits captive hunting for domestic or wild animals and does not prohibit the release of domestic game birds for hunting on licensed shooting preserves.) 03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Senate Bill No. 2221 by Kallman, McKenney, Mack, Gu, DiMario, Miller, Britto, Bell, LaMountain, Lauria
(Amends the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act.) referred to Senate Judiciary 03/19/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

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House Bill No. 7454 by Serpa, Solomon, Baginski (Prohibits the sale of new fur products and provides graduated civil penalties for violations of the act.) 03/21/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2302 by Gu, Lauria, Murray, Ujifusa, Valverde, Miller (Prohibits the sale/offer of sale/trade/distribution of fur products. Makes violations of this chapter civil infractions punishable by civil penalty and the 4th violation a misdemeanor punishable by fine up to $500 or imprisonment for 30 days or both.) 03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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House Bill No. 7236 by O'Brien, Voas, Baginski, DeSimone, Finkelman, Dawson, Lima, Costantino, Serpa, Phillips (Includes animal cruelty offenses to the domestic violence crimes committed by a family or household members against another.) 01/19/2024 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary

Senate Bill No. 2655 By Ruggerio, Tikoian, LaMountain, Bissaillon, Murray, Euer (Includes animal cruelty offenses to the domestic violence crimes committed by a family or household members against another.) 03/01/2024 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
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House Bill No. 7435 (Dept. Business Regulation) By Solomon, Casimiro, Casey, Lima, Costantino, Messier, Kennedy PET INSURANCE ACT (Enacts a chapter to regulate pet insurance.) 3/07/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2812 (Dept. of Business Regulation) By Bissaillon, Picard, Gu, Ruggeri (Enacts a chapter to regulate pet insurance.) 03/22/2024 Introduced, referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture
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House Bill No. 7056 By Potter, Speakman, Serpa, Bennett, Craven (Prohibits force-feeding to create a force-fed poultry product nor hire another to engage in force feeding of a poultry product. Violations would be subject to a civil penalty of $500.) 02/01/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Senate Bill No. 2744 By Ruggerio, LaMountain, Kallman, Euer, Valverde, Murray (Increases the penalty for violations of the care of dogs statute to a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100) and a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation.) referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture

House Bill No. 8095 by O'Brien, Craven, Finkelman, Solomon, McEntee, Serpa, Lima, Costantino, Voas, Slater (Increases the penalty for violations of the care of dogs statute to a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100) and a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation.) 03/22/2024 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
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Senate Bill No. 2221 by Kallman, McKenney, Mack, Gu, DiMario, Miller, Britto, Bell, LaMountain, Lauria
(Amends the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act.) referred to Senate Judiciary 03/19/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Defenders of Animals made two recommendations regarding the following two bills:
House Bill No. 7840 by J. Brien, Serpa, Noret (Revises the procedures followed when a vicious dog is seized and delivered to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.)

Senate Bill No. 2538 by Ruggerio (Permits euthanization of vicious dogs upon finding that dogs condition warrants euthanasia or after determination that there is no reasonable placement for the dog/provides any municipality that surrenders dog to RISPCA shall be responsible for costs.) 03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study


Defenders of Animals is against the following seven bills:

Senate Bill No. 2297 by Tikoian, Raptakis, Quezada, Ciccone, F. Lombardi, Britto, Sosnowski, Burke, McKenney, Rogers (Deletes subsection (b) of this section which lists the furbearing mammals in the state and requires DEM to promulgate by rule, a list of "furbearers" for this chapter.)
03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2154 by Rogers, de la Cruz, E Morgan, Paolino, DeLuca, Ciccone (Allows the taking of wild turkeys by using a crossbow in compliance with rules and regulations promulgated by DEM.) 03/13/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study


Senate Bill No. 2199 by Rogers, de la Cruz, Paolino, DeLuca, E Morgan, Ciccone (Allows an individual to lawfully possess a device that would silence the sound of a natural report of a rifle or shotgun to hunt game, as long as the host rifle or shotgun is allowed.) 03/12/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Senate Bill No. 2150 Rogers, Tikoian, de la Cruz, F. Lombardi, McKenney, Burke, E Morgan, Paolino, DeLuca, Ciccone (Exempts egg laying hens kept for commercial egg production purposes from the provisions of chapter 4-1.1 until January 1, 2034.)
01/24/2024 Introduced, referred to Senate Environment and Agriculture


House Bill No. 7562 By Noret, Marszalkowski, Bennett, Kazarian, Craven, Caldwell, Cotter, Chippendale, Spears, Costantino (Deletes subsection (b) of this section which lists the furbearing mammals in the state and requires DEM to promulgate by rule, a list of "furbearers" for this chapter.) 02/23/2024 Committee postponed at request of sponsor (02/29/2024)


House Bill No. 7946 By Chippendale, Quattrocchi, Nardone, Newberry (Exempts egg laying hens kept for commercial egg production purposes from the provisions of chapter 4-1.1 until January 1, 2034.)
03/22/2024 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/26/2024)

House Bill No. 7730 by Chippendale, Bennett (Allows the taking of wild turkeys by using a crossbow in compliance with rules and regulations promulgated by DEM.) 02/28/2024 referred to House Environment and Natural Resources