Local communities would lose the right to ban the sale of commercially bred animals under legislation now on the desk of Gov. Doug Ducey.

The measure is designed to overrule existing ordinances in Phoenix and Tempe that allow pet shops to sell only rescue and shelter animals. Proponents of the bill said there are safeguards, like requiring pet stores to ensure that their suppliers abide by U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations for breeding of dogs and cats.

They said this helps ensure animals are not being mistreated. But that contention drew derision from Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, who noted the testimony from a lobbyist who was quite happy with his purebred dog purchased from a local pet store. But Farley said what the lobbyist never saw was the conditions under which the puppy's mother was housed.

"The USDA regulations allows his dog's mother to be kept in a wire cage that is six inches longer than her body and six inches taller than her body, and they can be stacked three or four high on top of each other," he said. "They can be in that cage their entire life and the cages don't have to be cleaned except for once every two weeks."

Sen. John Kavanagh claimed the Humane Society of the United States agreed not to oppose the bill after it got some changes. For example, the bill now says that a pet store that obtains animals from so-called puppy mills that do not meet USDA standards can be fined. And on a third violation, the store would be blocked from selling commercially bred animals entirely.

"They extracted some concessions from the pet store owners. They're happy with the concessions. They would love to go far farther than that. But they realize that this is the best that they can do," Kavanagh said.

The measure went to the governor after the 18-9 vote by the Senate.