Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB172 by Harris (Relating to the offense of cruelty to animals.), As Introduced
The bill would amend the Penal Code to clarify the instances in which a person would be charged with the offense of cruelty to animals. The bill would also change the definition of "animal" and offer an additional defense to prosecution for an offense. The offense of cruelty to animals is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor, state jail felony, or felony of the third degree, depending on the number of previous convictions and the type of torture behavior. No significant impact on the programs and workload of state corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies is anticipated from any provisions of this bill.