Subcommittee tables bill to let animal control officers opt into hazardous-duty retirement benefits

The Compensation and Retirement Subcommittee voted 4-3 to gently lay on the table House Bill 1812, a measure that would permit localities to include animal control officers among positions eligible for an enhanced VRS hazardous-duty retirement classification.

Delegate Campbell, sponsor of HB 1812, told the panel animal control officers "often are put into very dangerous situations when they're performing their duties" and cited a 2023 JLARC study that, she said, assigned those officers a moderate level of public-safety responsibility and a relatively high rate of workers’ compensation claims. "Right now we have about 490 of these officers across the Commonwealth," Campbell said, describing the workforce size she said would be affected.

Committee members raised concerns about treating this occupation piecemeal rather than as part of a broader review of hazardous-duty classifications. A committee member noted that other options exist for localities that want coverage now — for example, classifying animal control officers as deputy sheriffs in jurisdictions that choose to do so — and that only a minority of states include animal-control positions in hazardous-duty statutes.

No public speakers were recorded at the hearing. After discussion, committee members voted to "gently lay this bill on the table." The motion carried 4 to 3.

Ending: The subcommittee left HB 1812 inactive for now and members suggested the issue could be revisited as part of broader work on hazardous-duty classifications or via local options that some jurisdictions already use.