Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate panel hears bill to criminalize harassment and harm of service animals
Summary
Senate Bill 300, introduced by Senator Denley Logie, would create criminal penalties and restitution for harassment, harm or unauthorized control of service animals and establish other protections for handlers.
Senate Bill 300, introduced by Senator Denley Logie, received wide public testimony Feb. 24 on measures to expand protections for service animals and their handlers, including criminalizing harassment, unauthorized control and creating restitution for harm to an animal whose work is essential to a person with a disability.
Proponents described service animals as medically essential partners whose injury or retirement can remove a person's independence for months or years. Jacob Krizovich, advocacy and public policy chair for the National Federation of the Blind of Montana, told senators that 44% of guide-dog handlers have suffered an attack and 89% reported interference while the dog was…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
