Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Domestic Violence topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House approves domestic-violence change to include animal torture as qualifying offense
Summary
The Utah House on Feb. 20 passed Senate Bill 45, amending domestic-violence law to allow aggravated cruelty to an animal used to threaten or harass a cohabitant to qualify for domestic-violence protections; the measure passed after extended debate, 42–31.
The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 20 passed Senate Bill 45, a revision to the state's domestic-violence statute that adds aggravated cruelty to an animal to the list of acts that may qualify as domestic violence when used to threaten or harass a cohabitant.
Supporters, led on the floor by Representative Ray, said the change responds to incidents in which abusers harmed animals to intimidate or terrorize partners. "This bill does is it adds torture of an animal to the list of offenses that may qualify as a domestic violence offense," Ray said, describing a case brought by the Ogden Police Department in which a boyfriend killed a girlfriend's dog to intimidate her.
Proponents said the amendment gives victims additional grounds to seek protective orders and other remedies tied to domestic-violence law. "So it says basically aggravated cruelty to an animal includes torture, administration of poison, or the killing of an animal, without proper legal privilege," Ray said during floor debate.
Opponents raised concerns about the statute's scope and possible unintended consequences, asking whether the change would apply to animal abuse outside the home or yield duplicate charges. Representative Kristofferson pressed the sponsor on limits, and Ray replied the provision is intended to apply to actions involving a cohabitant's animal, not unrelated animal-cruelty incidents.
After questions about whether the provision merely reclassified an already-criminal act or added distinct penalties tied to domestic-violence remedies, the House debated and approved the bill, 42 yea to 31 nay. The bill will be returned to the Senate for the president's signature.
The House discussion included clarifications from the sponsor that this change is aimed at circumstances where animal abuse is part of a pattern of coercive control and that adding the offense to domestic-violence law is intended to make protective remedies available in those cases. The next procedural step is transmittal to the Senate for formal signature.
