House Judiciary committee questions tight timelines, evidence and collection rules in H 5 7 8 animal-cruelty bill

The House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 30 took testimony on H 5 7 8, an animal cruelty bill, as Chief Superior Judge Tom Zone and Kim McManus of the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs urged clarifications to the draft before it advances.

Judge Tom Zone told the committee he had reviewed version 1.1 and raised multiple drafting concerns, including wording that would require a court to "grant the petition without a hearing if neither the state's attorney nor attorney general files an objection." He argued the bill should not force courts into automatic findings when a response is absent and suggested changing mandatory "shall grant" language to discretionary "may" so judges can decide whether to bring parties back into court. "It is a policy decision for the legislature to have that type of 'shall'," Zone said.

Zone also warned of internal inconsistencies on timing. The draft sets short deadlines — including a 10-day window to request hearings and a separate 10-day forfeiture trigger — that could conflict with civil procedure counting rules and with a defendant's last-day filing right. He recommended aligning the measure…