Bill
Bill > H1444
MA H1444
Changing the legal status of "pets" from personal property to "companion animals"
summary
Introduced
01/22/2019
01/22/2019
In Committee
01/22/2019
01/22/2019
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
12/31/2020
12/31/2020
Introduced Session
191st General Court
Bill Summary
Relative to the penalties for guardiana abusing domesticated companion animals. The Judiciary.
AI Summary
This bill proposes to change the legal status of "pets" from personal property to "companion animals." The key provisions include defining "companion animals" as domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, and ferrets that share a home with a caregiver. The bill also establishes "guardians" as the caregivers of these companion animals and imposes a duty on them to protect the health and safety of the animals. Additionally, the bill sets out penalties for guardian abuse of companion animals, including seizure of the animal, imprisonment, fines, and being placed on a "do not adopt to" list that will be publicly available to shelters, rescues, animal control offices, and pet stores.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Accompanied a study order, see H5081 (on 11/12/2020)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H1444 |
| Bill | https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H1444.pdf |
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