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Committee backs HB341 to expand enforcement tools and penalize animal-fighting paraphernalia
Summary
The committee unanimously adopted an amendment and recommended HB341 to the House floor; sponsors and witnesses said the bill clarifies prima facie evidence for paraphernalia and protects lawful breeders while giving law enforcement more tools to intervene earlier.
Representative Oakland presented HB341 and yielded to Steve Hyatt of Humane World for Animals, who said Utah law currently often requires law enforcement to wait until animals are 'in the pit' to act. Hyatt described a recent Provo operation as an example of the problem.
"Right now in Utah, our law enforcement is stuck in a dangerous waiting game," Hyatt said, and cited a Provo case he said involved "17 arrests and hundreds of birds with more than 50 that were killed." Hyatt described the bill as aligning gamefowl statutes with dogfighting laws, allowing intervention when possession and training devices indicate intent to fight, and adding prohibitions on allowing minors to attend fights.
Committee members asked about the bill’s definition of "dogfighting paraphernalia." Sponsors and witnesses pointed to statutory language that defines paraphernalia to include items such as breaking sticks, modified treadmills and conditioning devices; witnesses said the bill intends items found together to be used as contextual (prima facie) evidence rather than a sole basis for prosecution.
Terry Camp of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation said the group supports the bill’s amendments, calling them protective of traditional animal husbandry while opposing cruelty.
The committee adopted Amendment 2 and passed HB341 as amended with a favorable recommendation to the House floor.
Next steps: HB341 will proceed to the full House with the committee’s favorable recommendation.
