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Bill targets third‑party pet brokers seen as pipeline for out‑of‑state puppy mills; industry groups urge narrower definition
Summary
Assemblymember Berman introduced AB 519 to stop third‑party pet brokers from reselling animals imported from large out‑of‑state breeders into California retail channels, while exempting specified public‑safety and nonprofit transfers.
Assemblymember Berman told the committee AB 519 is part of a package aimed at stopping a “puppy mill pipeline” that brings animals raised out of state in large commercial breeding operations into California under the guise of local sellers or rescues.
Berman described the bill as a prohibition on brokers — defined in his draft as businesses that sell, offer or transfer animals for profit — arguing the measure preserves the ability of Californians to buy directly from responsible, in‑state breeders or shelters while cutting out middlemen who source from large, out‑of‑state dealers. The author said the bill includes exemptions for service animals, police dogs and certain nonprofit operations and that recent amendments respond to concerns from sportsmen about working and hunting dogs.
Supporters including Britney Benesee of the ASPCA and Juliana Tetlow of the San Diego Humane Society described repeated examples of animals arriving from USDA‑licensed dealers with health and behavioral problems; they urged the committee to close the retail loophole and protect consumers and shelters from the downstream costs of surrender and long shelter stays.
Opponents included PuppySpot’s CEO Claire Komorowski, who said the bill’s broker definition was overbroad and would capture reputable online platforms that match buyers to screened breeders and do not take ownership or inventory. Sportsmen and working‑dog groups also opposed the measure as drafted, saying many buyers need specialized sporting breeds as young pups and that a strict age cutoff could block legitimate procurement channels for hunters, trainers and nonprofit conservation fundraisers.
Berman and sponsors said a late amendment raised the age threshold for certain broker exemptions to 1 year to address some working‑dog concerns and that additional targeted language could be negotiated. The author also stated enforcement would use existing state remedies: local animal control and humane law enforcement could investigate and state or local prosecutors could bring cases; other bills in the package add specific enforcement tools for deceptive pet sales.
The committee took a motion to pass AB 519 as amended to the Senate floor; members voted in favor on the motion and committee leaders left the bill on call to allow additional members to be recorded.
