Current State and Federal Legislation

	Legislation related to animals in disasters
Locality	Bill Number	Description	Position	Status	Find Your Legislator
AL	SB 228	Creates a comprehensive emergency management plan for the evacuation and sheltering of household pets and service animals.	Support	Died	State Officials
WA	SB 5337	Requires state and local planning for the evacuation, transportation, and temporary sheltering of pets and service animals during a major disaster or an emergency.	Support	Died	State Officials
States with animals in disaster laws, as of November 2007: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin
	legislation related to puppy mills and hoarding
Locality	Bill Number	Description	Position	Status	Find Your Legislator
CA	AB 241	Limits the number of intact cats or dogs a breeder can maintain to 50.	Support	Failed	State Officials
CO	HB 1172	Creates the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act; limits the number of unsterilized dogs a breeder can maintain; allows inspection by commissioner.	Support	Failed	State Officials
CT	HB 5801	Promotes the humane treatment and care of dogs  bred for retail sale and protects consumers who purchase such dogs.	Support	Died	State Officials
FL	SB 2002 /  HB 1249	Prohibits a person from keeping 50 or more breeding dogs at any one time; requires a person who owns 10 or more breeding dogs to adhere to certain specified guidelines; authorizes investigations of any alleged violations.	Support	Died	State Officials
IL	HB 198 / SB 53	Creates a licensing program for dog breeders.	Support	Died	State Officials
IA	HF 486 /  SF 265	Allows the state to inspect USDA licensed puppy mills.	Support	Died	State Officials
IN	HB 1468	Establishes commercial dog breeder regulations, broadens animal cruelty laws and penalties, and authorizes courts to include animals in restraining orders.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
MD	SB 318 /  HB 495	Limits the number of intact dogs a breeder can maintain to 50 and establishes requirements for the care of breeding dogs.	Support	Failed	State Officials
MA	SB 774	Limits the number of animals that can be owned for breeding and sets out humane care standards.	Support	Died	State Officials
MN	SF 7 /  HF 253	Provides standards of care for dog and cat breeders.	Support	Died	State Officials
MO	HB 1004	Establishes the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act to prohibit cruel large-scale commercial breeding of dogs.	Support	Died	State Officials
MT	HB 548	Requires annual inspections for facilities that sell more than 100 dogs per year; requires department to adopt rules for inspections and standards for facilities that breed dogs for sale or sell dogs.	Support	Died	State Officials
NE	LB 677	Sets standards of care for dog breeding facilities and creates a licensing program for dog breeders.	Support	Indefinitely Postponed	State Officials
NY	AB 7285	Limits the number of intact animals used for breeding to 50.	Support	Died	State Officials
NC	SB 460 /  HB 733	Establishes commercial dog breeder regulations.	Support	Adjourned	State Officials
OK	HB 1332	Creates a licensing and regulation program for persons selling or transferring more than 25 cats or dogs annually.	Support	Died	State Officials
OR	HB 2470	Limits the number of intact dogs a breeder can maintain to 25 and establishes requirements for the care of breeding dogs.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
TN	SB 258 /  HB 386	Creates a licensing and regulation program for commercial breeders possessing 20 or more female dogs.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
TX	HB 3180 /  SB 1910	Creates licensing and regulation program for commercial cat and dog breeders.	Support	Adjourned	State Officials
WA	SB 5651 /  HB 1936	Limits the number of intact dogs a breeder can maintain to 25 and establishes requirements for the care of breeding dogs.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
WI	AB 250 / SB 208	Creates a licensing and regulation program for dog breeders and animal shelters.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
WV	HB 2843 /  SB 447	Establishes requirements and licensing for maintaining a commercial dog breeding operation; cooperation with inspections by animal control officers to ensure compliance with state and federal animal care laws; and criminal penalties.	Support	Adjourned	State Officials
	Legislation related to horse slaughter and equine welfare
Locality	Bill Number	Description	Position	Status	Find Your Legislator
US	HR 503 / S727	Prohibits certain conduct relating to the use of horses for human consumption.	Support	Pending	House Senate
IL	HB 583	Repeals the state ban on the slaughter of horses.	Oppose	Died	State Officials
MT	HB 418	Authorizes investor-owned horse slaughter plants.	Oppose	Signed into Law	State Officials
NY	SB 3178	Prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption.	Support	Pending	State Officials
WI	SB 142	Prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption.	Support	Pending	State Officials
	legislation related to pets and protective orders
Locality	Bill Number	Description	Position	Status	Find Your Legislator
AZ	SB 1278	Include pets in protection orders in cases of domestic abuse.	Support	Died	State Officials
DE	HB 77	Clarifies existing law to make clear that courts may order that a petitioner be given possession of a family pet via a protective order in cases of domestic violence.	Support	Passed House	State Officials
GA	HB 429	Allows a judge to include protections for pets in protective orders in cases of family violence.	Support	Died	State Officials
HI	HB 1512 / SB 1086	Authorizes family court, when issuing a temporary restraining order, to award exclusive care of a pet animal or equine animal and enjoin the restrained party from having any contact with the animal.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
IL	HB 3918	Allows court to prohibit respondent from contact with petitioner’s animals in civil no contact order.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
IA	HF 32  / SF 119	Allows courts to issue pet protection orders in domestic abuse situations.	Support	Passed Senate	State Officials
MD	SB 736 / HB 901	Allows the inclusion of protections for pets and service animals in protective orders.	Support	Passed Senate	State Officials
MA	HB 1319 / HB 1499	Includes pets in domestic abuse protection orders.	Support	Pending	State Officials
MN	SF 838 / HF 1396	Allows for the inclusion of pets in domestic violence protection orders.	Support	Died	State Officials
NE	LB 83	Provides for the care of domestic animals in protection orders.	Support	Died	State Officials
NJ	S1045 / A 820	Requires courts to issue animal protective orders against persons found guilty of abusing animals.	Support	Pending	State Officials
NM	HB 434	Includes pets in protection orders in cases of domestic abuse.	Support	Died	State Officials
NC	SB 1062	Includes pets in domestic violence protection orders.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
SC	HB 3117	Allows the court to prohibit harm to an animal owned by the petitioner; allows the court to order temporary possession of pets.	Support	Held Over	State Officials
TX	HB 853 / SB 1840	Includes pets in protection orders in cases of domestic abuse.	Support	Failed	State Officials
VA	HB 2381	Allows the court to include companion animals in protection orders in cases of domestic abuse.	Support	Passed House	State Officials
WA	HB 1148	Allows courts to grant custody of animals to petitioner in cases of domestic violence; allows courts to prohibit respondent from coming within a specified distance from the animal.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
WY	HB 206	Allows for the inclusion of pets in protective orders in cases of domestic violence.	Support	Died	State Officials
States with pets in protective order laws, as of August 2008: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New York, Tennessee and Vermont
	OTHER CALIFORNIA legislation
Locality	Bill Number	Description	Position	Status	Find Your Legislator
CA	AB 233	Allowing for a tax deduction (up to $300) for qualified costs paid or incurred during the taxable year by a taxpayer for the adoption of pets from a qualified animal rescue.	Support	Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations Committee	State Officials
CA	AB 242	Makes being a spectator at a dogfight a felony.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials
CA	AB 1122	Prohibits the sale of a live animal on any street, highway, public right-of-way, commercial parking lot, or at any outdoor special sale, swap meet, flea market, parking lot sale, carnival, or boardwalk.	Support	Failed	State Officials
CA	SB 135	Bans the tail docking of cows.	Support	Signed into Law	State Officials

other legislation related to animal cruelty

UAN is not tracking the bills listed below, but you can use this list to see if your state has any animal-cruelty legislation pending this year.

View previous legislation: 2008 2007 2006

• Alaska : HB 138 (Sponsor: Gatto): Makes it a felony on the first offense to torture or poison an animal.
• Arkansas : SB 77 (Sponsor: Madison) : Creates offenses for first time felony cruelty of dogs, cats and horses and for felony cockfighting.
• Delaware: HB 2 (Sponsor: Miro): Increases the penalties for animal fighting, baiting, and attendance at an animal fight from a class F felony to a class E felony; increases the penalties for being present where an exhibition of fighting and/or baiting is being prepared and knowing that the exhibition is about to take place from a class G felony to a class F felony; allows a court to order mandatory counseling and/or psychological treatment.
• Florida: SB 448 / HB 273 (Sponsors: Rich, Snyder): Prohibits a person from knowingly engaging in, causing, or permitting certain sexual conduct or contact with an animal.
• Hawaii: HB 1281 (Sponsor: Brower): Makes it a class C felony to intentionally or knowingly kill a cat or dog for the purpose of human consumption or to consume any part of a cat or dog.
• Hawaii: SB 763 / HB 730 (Sponsors: Oakland, Mizuno): Repeals existing dog fighting law and enacts a more comprehensive law.
• Illinois: HB 69 (Sponsor: Colvin): Makes being a spectator at an animal fight a felony.
• Illinois: SB 38 (Sponsor: Stearns): Prohibits the use of gas chambers for euthanasia.
• Indiana: SB 23 (Sponsor: Arnold ): Makes being a spectator at an animal fight a Class C felony.
• Maine: LD 186 (Sponsor: Wagner): Makes possession of animal fighting paraphernalia a Class C crime; changes the crime of viewing animal fighting from a Class D crime to a Class C crime.
• Massachusetts: HB 1303 (Sponsor: Callahan): Adds the failure to provide necessary veterinary care to the definition of cruelty.
• Massachusetts: HB 1466 (Sponsor: Kafka): Prohibits the creation, sale, rental, or leasing, or any dog fighting paraphernalia.
• Minnesota: HF 728 / SF 800 (Sponsors: Mullery, Foley): Prohibits the possession of animal fighting devices or substances.
• Mississippi: HB 1218 (Sponsor: Brown): Increases various penalties related to animal cruelty.
• Missouri: HB 724 (Sponsor: LeVota): Prohibits any person from possessing dog fighting paraphernalia and adds a penalty for a second or subsequent offense for persons committing acts related to dog fighting.
• Missouri: SB 63 (Sponsor: Rupp): Increases the penalty for being a spectator at a dog fighting event from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony for a second or subsequent offense.
• Montana: SB 346 (Sponsor: Laible): Increases penalties for animal cruelty; allows for a civil proceeding for the costs of care of the animal in a case of animal cruelty.
• Nebraska: LB 252 (Sponsor: Cornett): Prohibits possession of animal fighting paraphernalia. 
• Nevada: AB 199 (Sponsor: Gansert): Prohibits owning, possessing, keeping, training, promoting or purchasing an animal with the intent to use it to fight; prohibits selling an animal knowing that it is intended to be used to fight.
• New Hampshire: HB 220 (Sponsor: Skinder):Requires that animals be taken into custody when a person is charged with cruelty to animals.
• New Jersey: A 2362 / S 1516 (Sponsors: Johnson, Weinberg): Increases various penalties related to animal cruelty.
• New Mexico: HB 159 (Sponsor: Park): Increases penalties for abandonment, neglect and leaving an animal in a hot car; increases the penalty when cruelty causes death or great bodily harm.
• North Carolina: HB 6 / SB 199 (Sponsor: Allred, Hoyle): Provides for humane euthanasia of animals in animal shelters by prohibiting the use of gas chambers.
• Ohio: HB 70 (Sponsor: Gerberry): Increases the penalty for violation of the prohibition against cruel treatment of a companion animal by the animal's custodian or caretaker to a felony of the fifth degree.  
• Oklahoma: HB 2209 (Sponsor: Kiesel): Provides for a cause of action against persons unlawfully inflicting physical injury or death upon an animal.
• Oregon: SB 398 (Sponsor: Prozanski): Prohibits abandonment of horses.
• Oregon: HB 2627 (Sponsor: Witt): Increases penalties for animal abuse, aggravated animal abuse and animal neglect.
• Pennsylvania: TBD (Sponsor: TBD): Bans the use of trap-released or tethered animals for targets.
• Pennsylvania: HB 613 (Sponsor: Kortz): Prohibits euthanasia by carbon monoxide gas chambers and firearms.
• South Carolina: SB 223 (Sponsor: Lourie): Allows organization granted custody of animals in a cruelty case to petition the court to require defendant to pay reasonable expenses.
• South Dakota: HB 1146 (Sponsors: Cutler, Abdallah): Makes the torture of an animal a felony.
• Texas: HB 1147 / SB 554 (Sponsors: Frost, Whitmire): Makes it illegal to own or possess dog-fighting equipment with the intent that the equipment be used to train a dog for dog fighting.
• West Virginia: SB 501 (Sponsor: Kessler): Prohibits euthanasia by means of a gas chamber.

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