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Shelters warn SB442 requiring vet transfer certificates for all in‑state animal transfers would strain nonprofits
Summary
Senate Bill 442 would require an official certificate of transfer signed by a veterinarian for all animal transfers, including in‑state animals, and extend certificate validity; the Department supports it as consumer protection, while shelters and veterinarians said it would impose large administrative and financial burdens and urged longer validity and exemptions for routine local transfers.
Sen. Howard Pearl introduced Senate Bill 442 at the department’s request as a statutory cleanup and a consumer‑protection measure. The bill would replace references to health certificates with an “official certificate of transfer” (OCT) and require that a veterinarian sign the certificate for animals transferred between vendors and to members of the public.
Commissioner Sean Jasper told the committee the department believes “every person who receives an animal from a pet vendor” should have a veterinary certificate confirming the animal is fit for transfer, and that the OCTs should be entered into the state database the department maintains for tracking transfers. He said the committee could consider lengthening the certificate validity — the draft amendment discussed 21 days (up from the current 14) — to reduce repeated re‑examinations.
Shelter leaders and veterinarians pressed the committee on operational impacts. Michael Constance of Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter estimated repeated examinations could add “an additional $71,966.2 in additional testing alone” for his organization and that the average length of stay (about 49.6 days in 2025 for his shelter) would make frequent OCT renewals costly and time consuming. Karen Fugat of Pope Memorial and Sarah Proctor, a shelter veterinarian, said most New Hampshire shelters already perform veterinary intake and outgoing exams and record care in medical records; they argued the OCT would add paperwork without materially improving animal health outcomes for locally sourced animals.
Committee members and the commissioner discussed drafting fixes, including making the quarantine language explicitly apply only to imported animals and clarifying whether the in‑state exception should remain. Several senators asked the department and stakeholders to work together on practical amendments — lengthening the OCT validity and clarifying the scope of transfers — before the committee takes further action.
The hearing closed with multiple shelter leaders urging the committee to consider the operational consequences and to consult with rescue organizations before advancing a final bill.
