The proposed bill, if enacted, would amend existing statutes related to animal cruelty by increasing the penalties for specific offenses against working and service animals. Under the new provisions, the penalty for intentionally or knowingly causing serious harm to a working animal would be elevated from a class 6 felony to a class 5 felony, while killing a working animal would be classified as a class 4 felony. Similarly, the penalty for killing or seriously harming a service animal would also be raised to a class 5 felony. Additionally, the bill introduces a new offense specifically for killing or seriously harming a service animal, and it adds injuring a working or service animal to the list of crimes that incur liability for associated costs, such as training and replacement.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that actions taken to kill or seriously harm a working or service animal may not be classified as animal cruelty if the individual had no reasonable alternative to avoid imminent injury. It also modifies the existing classification of animal cruelty offenses by separating the killing or serious harm of a service animal into its own distinct offense. The bill makes conforming changes to the numbering of existing statutes and establishes that these amendments would take effect on the general effective date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 13-2910
Senate Engrossed Version: 13-2910, 13-2910.11, 13-417, 17-101