BATON ROUGE - People buying dogs and cats in Louisiana pet stores often don't know where the animals were bred.

A state senator is attempting to change that, with a bill nearing final passage to require pet store record-keeping.

The proposal from Sen. Danny Martiny, a Kenner Republican, would require stores to post breeders' names and addresses, as well as federal and state licensing information, for each animal sold. Supporters said the bill could help track disease outbreaks that may originate in pet stores.

The House Commerce Committee agreed to the Senate-backed measure Monday, sending it to the full House for debate.

Pet stores also could only sell animals older than 8 weeks old, under the measure. The proposal would not apply to humane societies and animal shelters.