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House Bill 4759 |
House Author: Campos et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Menéndez |
House Bill 4759 amends the Health and Safety Code to require San Antonio's animal control authority to investigate reports of incidents involving dangerous dogs. The bill provides for the confidentiality of the identifying information of a witness who gives a sworn statement to an animal control authority investigating an incident relating to a dangerous dog and limits the disclosure of that information to the governing body of the municipality or county in which the incident occurred or other governmental or law enforcement agency for purposes of enforcing state law. Moreover, the bill enhances the penalty for a subsequent conviction of an attack by a dangerous dog offense and expands the conduct constituting an attack by a dog offense.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "Texas's existing criminal laws penalize attacks by dangerous dogs — so much so that felony arrests have already been made of the dog owners responsible for the tragic attack that took the life of a distinguished Air Force veteran in San Antonio, and that was the catalyst for House Bill No. 4759. The justice system should be allowed to work without the overcriminalization found in this bill. I look forward to working with the author to create investigations and procedures that stop dog attacks before they happen."