Senate approves tougher animal-cruelty penalties after heated debate over amendment

The Utah Senate on the third reading advanced Senate Bill 297, an amendment to animal-torture and cruelty statutes, after lawmakers debated competing approaches to punishment and repeat-offender thresholds.

Senator Christensen introduced the measure and resisted changes that would alter an agreement with the House. Senator Jenkins offered Amendment 1, which would make a second conviction a felony at any time after an initial conviction. Jenkins described the amendment as a ‘‘compromise’’ to seek tougher repeat-offender penalties without the five-year window in an earlier proposal. ‘‘This just says any time you commit a second [offense] after you've been convicted of one, it's a felony,’’ Jenkins said.

Opponents, including Senator Christiansen and others, said the floor amendment would undo negotiations with the House and urged the body to pass the bill as presented. Senator Greiner urged support for the amendment on moral grounds, comparing severe animal abuse to other violent crimes and recounting a recent fatal crash to frame his concern about severity. Senator McCoy noted other Utah statutes that carry third-degree-felony penalties as context for the debate.

The motion to adopt Jenkins’ amendment failed. Senator Christensen then moved the bill for final passage. The roll call showed 21 senators voting yes, 6 voting no and 2 absent; the bill passed and will be transmitted to the House for its further action.

The Senate record shows the motion to amend, the floor explanations for and against changing the repeat-offense standard, and the final tally. No procedural return or amendment to the bill text was adopted on the floor.