Bill > H4675

This bill adds a new section to Massachusetts law (Chapter 140) that establishes legal procedures for addressing animal neglect. The bill defines "Animal Neglect" as a failure to provide minimum care for a companion or pet, including insufficient food, water, shelter, veterinary care, unsanitary living conditions, or causing unnecessary suffering. It empowers various law enforcement and animal control authorities to petition a district court to intervene in cases of animal neglect. The court must hold a hearing within 10 days to determine if neglect has occurred and assess the animal owner's ability to provide proper care, which may include reviewing past investigations of the person's animal treatment. If animal neglect is found, the court can order several potential remedies: forfeiting the animal to an enforcing authority, authorizing humane euthanasia, requiring the owner to provide specific care, removing other animals from the owner's custody, and prohibiting the person from caring for animals in the future. The bill aims to provide a clear legal framework for protecting animals from inadequate or harmful treatment by establishing specific standards and judicial mechanisms for intervention.

Budget and Finance

Joint Committee on the Judiciary (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4675