SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California lawmaker is looking to make it financially easier to bring home a furry friend from an animal shelter in hopes of alleviating overcrowding and helping people gain a loyal companion.
Assembly Bill 691, authored by Republican Assemblymember Greg Wallis, would offer people an up to $250 tax credit to cover adoption fees for a pet from a qualified shelter and an additional up to $500 credit for pet medical expenses needed within the first year of ownership.
Wallis, a self-confessed animal lover who owns two dogs, introduced the bill to help ease the most significant barrier to pet ownership: high entry costs.
“It’s really cost-prohibitive, so we wanted to try and figure out a way where we could incentivize more people to bring our furry friends into their loving homes,” Wallis said.
Animal adoption fees can vary drastically depending on the shelter and medical expenses can cost thousands of dollars.
Meanwhile, shelters across the state are dealing with overcrowding after the pandemic. Los Angeles shelters are also facing overcrowding due to pets displaced by the devastating wildfires.
“There’s never been a better time to adopt,” said Jill Tucker, CEO of the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals).
CalAnimals comprises hundreds of shelters, SPCAs and police departments overseeing adoptions throughout the state. She says a problem many of them face is people choosing to explore other routes to bringing a pet home.
According to the organization’s data, about 30% of Californians choose to adopt shelter animals. She hopes programs like tax credits could help boost that percentage.
“We appreciate any incentives to adopt,” Tucker said.
California also holds the unpleasant distinction of being the state with one of the highest rates of euthanized shelter animals, according to Animal Rescues for Change and data from the Shelter Animal Count.
“There’s been efforts underway to make all shelters, no-kill shelters in the state of California, and when we dug more into that idea and the feasibility of it, It’s really something that hasn’t been fully worked out and fully vetted yet.” Wallis said. “And so we wanted to try and come up with something that was a little bit more immediate, that could help people right away.”
The new proposal would not only help cover adoption costs through the tax credit, but medical coverage will also be eligible for a tax credit within the first 12 months of ownership.
“When these animals end up in our shelters and our shelters are so underfunded in the state, they don’t necessarily have the ability to go in there and find every possible health care issue that animal can have,” Wallis said.
Wallis said unforeseen veterinarian costs often lead to people returning animals to shelters. He hopes offering the additional tax credit will help people keep their pets.
Under the bill, a taxpayer could only claim the tax credit once in their lifetime, leading the East Bay SPCA to take a neutral stance on the legislation.
“We welcome discussions that explore how financial relief can reduce barriers to pet adoption and contribute to lowering shelter intake. Supporting people in adopting pets has the potential to create healthier communities and save animal lives. Nevertheless, we also recognize that upfront adoption and medical expenses—followed by a once-in-a-lifetime tax credit—may not be a viable option for many low-income individuals and marginalized communities,” the East Bay SPCA said in a statement to ABC10.
California is entering a tight budget year with considerable uncertainty, given changes at the federal level. Wallis added the state’s budget will be clearer after Gov. Newsom’s May budget revision.
“A lot of members of the state legislature, at least in my house, the Assembly, are big fans of trying to get these pets out of shelters into homes where they can thrive and be a part of a loving family,” Wallis said.
AB 691 will have its first hearing in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee when lawmakers return from spring recess next week.
Greg Wallis represents California’s 47th Assembly District.
