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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 123
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 2866
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT INCREASING THE PENALTY FOR THE INTENTIONAL
INJURY OF A POLICE ANIMAL OR DOG IN A VOLUNTEER CANINE
SEARCH AND RESCUE TE AM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 53-247 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2
(a) Any person who (1) overdrives, drives when overloaded, 3
overworks, tortures, deprives of necessary sustenance, mutilates or 4
cruelly beats or kills or unjustifiably injures any animal, [or who,] (2) 5
having impounded or confined any animal, fails to give such animal 6
proper care or neglects to cage or restrain any such animal from doing 7
injury to itself or to another animal or fails to supply any such animal 8
with wholesome air, food and water, [or] (3) unjustifiably administers 9
any poisonous or noxious drug or substance to any domestic animal or 10
unjustifiably exposes any such drug or substance, with intent that the 11
same shall be taken by an animal, or causes it to be done, [or,] (4) having 12
charge or custody of any animal, inflicts cruelty upon it or fails to 13
provide it with proper food, drink or protection from the weather or 14 Committee Bill No. 123
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abandons it or carries it or causes it to be carried in a cruel manner, or 15
(5) fights with or baits, harasses or worries any animal for the purpose 16
of making it perform for amusement, diversion or exhibition, shall, for 17
a first offense, be fined not more than one thousand dollars or 18
imprisoned not more than one year or both, and for each subsequent 19
offense, shall be guilty of a class D felony. 20
(b) Any person who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, 21
tortures, wounds or kills an animal shall, (1) for a first offense, be guilty 22
of a class D felony, and (2) for any subsequent offense, be guilty of a 23
class C felony. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any 24
licensed veterinarian while following accepted standards of practice of 25
the profession or to any person while following approved methods of 26
slaughter under section 22-272a, while performing medical research as 27
an employee of, student in or person associated with any hospital, 28
educational institution or laboratory, while following generally 29
accepted agricultural practices or while lawfully engaged in the taking 30
of wildlife. 31
(c) Any person who knowingly (1) owns, possesses, keeps or trains 32
an animal engaged in an exhibition of fighting for amusement or gain, 33
(2) possesses, keeps or trains an animal with the intent that it be engaged 34
in an exhibition of fighting for amusement or gain, (3) permits an act 35
described in subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection to take place on 36
premises under his control, (4) acts as judge or spectator at an exhibition 37
of animal fighting for amusement or gain, or (5) bets or wagers on the 38
outcome of an exhibition of animal fighting for amusement or gain, shall 39
be guilty of a class D felony. 40
(d) Any person who intentionally injures or kills any animal while 41
such animal is in the performance of its duties under the supervision of 42
a peace officer, as defined in section 53a-3, or intentionally injures or 43
kills a dog that is a member of a volunteer canine search and rescue 44
team, as defined in section 5-249, while such dog is in the performance 45
of its duties under the supervision of the active individual member of 46
such team, shall be guilty of a class [D] C felony. 47 Committee Bill No. 123
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[(e) Any person who intentionally kills any animal while such animal 48
is in the performance of its duties under the supervision of a peace 49
officer, as defined in section 53a-3, or intentionally kills a dog that is a 50
member of a volunteer canine search and rescue team, as defined in 51
section 5-249, while such dog is in the performance of its duties under 52
the supervision of the active individual member of such team, shall be 53
fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than 54
ten years, or both.] 55
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2021 53-247
PS Joint Favorable