BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 652

By: Paul

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised about the health and safety of animals being adopted from animal shelters. It has been noted that Texans adopting pets from shelters are making a financial and emotional investment in an animal's well-being, yet may not be made aware of recent disease outbreaks at the shelter. C.S.H.B. 652 seeks to address the issue of animals adopted with preexisting conditions by requiring an animal shelter to notify a person who adopts an animal that was or may have been exposed to the bodily fluid of another animal diagnosed with certain infectious diseases, if the shelter learns of the exposure during a certain period surrounding the adoption.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 652 amends the Health and Safety Code to require an animal shelter to provide written, electronic, or telephonic notice to a person who adopts an animal from the shelter if the adopted animal was or may have been exposed to a bodily fluid of another animal in the shelter that was diagnosed with bordetella, distemper, kennel cough, leptospirosis, parvovirus, or rabies and the shelter learns of the exposure during the period beginning on the 15th day before the date of the adoption and ending on the 15th day after the adoption date. A shelter that violates the bill's provisions is not subject to a civil penalty for that violation.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 652 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not include a requirement for an animal shelter to notify a person who adopts an animal of any epizootic infectious disease that occurs among the animals in the shelter for a specified time period.

The substitute includes a requirement for an animal shelter to notify a person who adopts an animal if the adopted animal was exposed to a bodily fluid of another animal in the shelter that was diagnosed with bordetella, distemper, kennel cough, leptospirosis, parvovirus, or rabies and the shelter learns of the exposure during the specified period.