TO: | Honorable Rick Hardcastle, Chair, House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock |
FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | HB521 by Goolsby (Relating to restraining dogs with certain chains or tethers; providing criminal penalties.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Penal Code by making the restraint of a dog with a chain or tether attached to a tree, stake, or other stationary object for eight or more hours in a 24-hour period punishable as a Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense would be a state jail felony if the person had been previously convicted two times of the offense. The bill includes exceptions to the application of the proposed provision of the Penal Code.
A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by confinement in county jail for a term not to exceed one year, a fine not to exceed $4,000, or both fine and imprisonment.
A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for any term of not more than two years or less than 180 days, or, in addition to confinement, a fine not to exceed $10,000.
It is assumed that the number of offenders convicted under this statute would not result in a significant impact on the programs and workload of state corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies.
Source Agencies: |
LBB Staff: | JOB, GG
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