This bill creates a grant program to fund trap-neuter-return (TNR) efforts for free-roaming domestic cats (community cats) in Colorado. Here are the main elements:
Grant Program for Animal Welfare Facilities:
Provides funding to licensed Colorado pet facilities, rescues, and spay/neuter organizations for TNR programs.
Funded through the Adopt a Shelter Pet Account in the Pet Overpopulation Fund.
Grants are awarded by the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Authority’s board.
Facilities can apply for grants every two years but cannot receive funding in consecutive years.
At least 20% of annual grants must go toward TNR programs.
Eligible Uses for Grant Money:
Trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats.
Veterinary care for sterilization and treatment.
Public education and outreach to promote TNR programs.
Training for cat caretakers and animal control personnel on humane TNR practices.
Veterinary supplies and mobile clinic support for spay/neuter organizations.
Changes to the Authority’s Board:
New rules for board membership, ensuring:
The public representative cannot serve on any animal welfare organization board.
No two members are from the same trade or industry group.
Adds representatives from No Kill Colorado and a spay/neuter organization.
Transparency Requirements:
The board must publish annual details on its website about:
Each grant recipient, grant amount, award date, and current board members.
Funding Allocation:
At least 70% of grants must go to facilities in Colorado counties with populations of 200,000 or fewer to support rural areas.
This bill aims to control the population of free-roaming cats through humane TNR programs, while promoting transparency, fair grant distribution, and support for rural communities in Colorado.
Summary
The bill establishes a grant program to distribute money to
encourage a pet animal facility, a pet animal rescue, and a spay and neuter organization located in Colorado (animal welfare facility) to trap, neuter, and return to its habitat a free-roaming domestic cat that may have a caretaker and is not socialized to humans (community cat). The adopt a shelter pet account in the pet overpopulation fund (account) provides the funding for the grant program. The Colorado pet overpopulation authority (authority) will award the grants pursuant to the direction of the authority's board of directors (board).
A prospective grantee may only apply for a grant biannually and
may not receive money in consecutive years. The authority must not favor a particular animal welfare facility's business model over another when awarding grants. A pet animal facility must be licensed and in good standing with the department of agriculture and located in Colorado to be eligible for a grant. At least 20% of the money annually awarded for all grants from the account must be for trap-neuter-return program grants. A trap-neuter-return grantee may spend grant money only on:
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Trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats in Colorado;
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Veterinary care for the treatment and sterilization of community cats in Colorado;
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Education and outreach to promote public awareness of trap-neuter-return programs in Colorado and to encourage community participation;
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Training for community cat caretakers and animal control personnel in humane trapping and trap-neuter-return protocols in Colorado; and
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For an animal welfare facility that is a spay and neuter organization, veterinary materials and support for mobile clinics in Colorado.
The bill changes the composition of the board and the
qualifications required to be on the board. The board member who represents the general public must not also be on the board of any animal welfare organization, and no board member may be from the same trade or industry group as another board member. The bill adds to the board a representative of No Kill Colorado or any successor organization and a representative of a spay and neuter organization.
The board must annually publish on the pet overpopulation fund
website the name of each grantee receiving money from the pet overpopulation fund, the amount of each grant provided to a grantee, when a grantee received a grant, and the names of each board member.
The bill specifies that 70% of all grants awarded money from the
pet overpopulation fund must be used for animal welfare facilities that are headquartered and located in a Colorado county with a population of 200,000 or less.
