The bill amends Section 4-1.1-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 4-1.1, entitled "Unlawful Confinement of a Covered Animal," by adding new exceptions to the current law, effective July 1, 2026. The exceptions where the chapter does not apply include medical research, temporary confinement for veterinary purposes, transportation, participation in rodeo and fair exhibitions, temporary confinement for animal husbandry purposes limited to six hours within a 24-hour period, humane slaughter, confinement to a sow around the time of giving birth and while nursing piglets, calves being trained for exhibition or routine confinement, and a new insertion specifically exempts egg-laying hens kept for commercial egg production until January 1, 2030.

The bill also includes a deletion, changing the conjunction "and" at the end of the previous final item in the list to accommodate the addition of the new exemption for egg-laying hens. This exemption for egg-laying hens will expire on January 1, 2030. The act is set to take effect immediately upon passage, as stated in Section 2 of the bill. The explanation provided by the Legislative Council clarifies that the purpose of the act is to exempt commercial egg-laying hens from the provisions of chapter 4-1.1 until the specified date.

Statutes affected:
7946  SUB A: 4-1.1-4
7946: 4-1.1-4