Mass. judiciary hearing advances multiple animal protection proposals including possession bans and new civil tools

Lawmakers at the Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard extensive testimony about several related bills intended to strengthen animal-protection law in Massachusetts. Supporters told the committee the package—filed in different forms in the House and Senate—would create civil remedies to remove animals in unsafe conditions, authorize temporary possession bans for convicted abusers and expand citation authority to species beyond dogs. Proponents said the bills fill enforcement gaps that force law enforcement and humane officers to wait for felony charges before obtaining custody of suffering animals. Stephanie Harris of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Suzanne Dowell, an MSPCA volunteer, described cases in which repeated neglect, hoarding or active cruelty to multiple species persisted because current remedies were limited. Stephanie Harris testified the measures would “protect animals from future suffering and reduce opportunities to…