H97 - 2015 Appropriations Act, Sec. 13.7: Spay/Neuter Program Revisions (SL 2015-241)

Overview: Sec. 13.7 of S.L. 2015-241 makes the following revisions to the State's spay/neuter program:

Amends G.S. 19A-63, which specifies eligibility for reimbursement from State funds to city or county spay/neuter programs for low-income persons, as follows:

• Specifies that if the city or county chooses to contract with a third party for operation of a spay/neuter clinic, the third party must be a non-profit organization and the organization must contract with a local veterinarian (defined as a veterinarian practicing in the county or an adjacent county if no veterinarian is practicing in the county) to perform the spay/neuter procedures.
• Requires counties to provide an opportunity to participate in the spay/neuter program supported by State funds to all local veterinarians.
• Amends the definition of "low-income person" to 100% of the federal poverty level.
• Creates a new "Animal Shelter Support Fund" within the Animal Welfare Section of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to reimburse local governments for expenses related to operation of a registered animal shelter upon the denial, suspension, or revocation of the shelter's registration or the occurrence of an unforeseen catastrophe at the shelter. Funding from the Animal Shelter Support Fund would have to be matched by a requesting local government with a match amount based on the economic development tier status of the county (a 1:3 match in tier one counties, a 1:2 match in tier two counties, and a 1:1 match in tier three counties).

This section became effective July 1, 2015.