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House Bill 963 |
House Author: Hartnett |
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Effective: 9-1-11 |
Senate Sponsor: Rodriguez |
House Bill 963 amends Health and Safety Code provisions relating to the disposition of cruelly treated animals to require a court that finds that an animal's owner has cruelly treated the animal to determine the estimated costs likely to be incurred in housing and caring for the impounded animal during the appeal process. The bill requires the court to set the amount of bond for an appeal equal to the sum of the amount of court costs for the original hearing, including administrative costs and the costs of housing and caring for the animal during its impoundment, and the amount of the estimated costs likely to be incurred during the appeal process. The bill also updates language relating to proceedings, entitles a party to the appeal to a jury trial on request, establishes that a person filing an appeal from a municipal court is not required to file a motion for a new trial to perfect an appeal, and establishes that a county court or a county court at law has jurisdiction to hear an appeal.