Senate Bill 5065, introduced in the Law & Justice Committee, would create a gross misdemeanor for using certain non-domestic animals in traveling acts such as circuses. Patrick Moore, session staff counsel, told the committee the prohibited animals include elephants, bears, nonhuman primates and felines excluding domestic cats, and said the offense would be punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a fine up to $5,000, or both.

Prime sponsor Senator Marco Liias, state senator from the 21st Legislative District, framed the bill as a matter of animal welfare and public safety, saying critics and supporters alike “measure societies by how they treat the most vulnerable members of their society” and that traveling with large wild animals imposes “severe and chronic stress” that can also expose people to injury. He noted six Washington jurisdictions already restrict these acts.

Testimony in support came from Woodland Park Zoo’s Deborah Munguia, who said accredited zoos meet high welfare standards and that traveling acts “have no choice” and cannot provide the same care; Dan Paul of the Humane Society of the United States and Amanda Fox of Animal Rights Initiative also urged passage, citing USDA citations and long histories of alleged poor care by exhibitors. Jim McCormick of Animal Defenders International described undercover investigations that documented abuse and said wild animals perform “through fear.”

Opponents and those urging amendment included Debbie Goodrich of Flyclub Foundation, who said the bill’s definitions and local-authority language could be overly broad and could affect programs using smaller, choice-based animals; Rebecca Faust raised concerns about how the bill would treat hybrid cat breeds; and other witnesses asked for clarity about exemptions and local ordinance interactions.

Staff noted the bill exempts permanent zoological facilities that do not travel and allows cities and counties to adopt more restrictive rules. A fiscal note was requested but not yet available. The committee took public testimony and closed the hearing; no final vote was recorded in the transcript.