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House approves tougher penalties for animal torture, elevating some acts to class D felony
Summary
The House concurred in Senate amendment H8435 to House file 2348, expanding definitions of animal torture to include intentional acts such as mutilation, burning, poisoning, drowning or starving and elevating these acts to class D felony status; the bill passed the House unanimously in recorded roll call.
The House adopted Senate amendment H8435 to House file 2348, updating Iowa Code 717B to elevate certain intentional or malicious acts of animal torture to a class D felony and revising related definitions.
The sponsor described the amendment as updating definitions to include acts such as mutilating, burning, poisoning, drowning, starving or causing prolonged pain to a companion animal, and said those acts would be elevated to a class D felony. Several members spoke in support, calling the update long overdue and urging passage to better protect animals.
Representative Jacoby said the bill was "a fantastic bill, long overdue," and thanked the sponsor for bringing it forward. The sponsor closed by moving concurrence in Senate amendment H8435; the motion passed and the bill was placed for final passage.
The clerk read House file 2348 and the machine vote returned 84 ayes, 0 nays with 16 not voting; the clerk declared the bill passed and the title agreed to.
The bill will proceed according to the legislative process following House passage.
