SPONSOR: Falkner
This bill replaces the term "police animal" with the term "law enforcement animal". The bill also labels the section related to assault on a law enforcement animal as "Max's Law".
Currently, an assault on a law enforcement animal is a class C misdemeanor, unless the assault results in the death of the animal or the animal is disabled to the extent the animal is unable to be utilized as a law enforcement animal, in which case it is a class E felony.
As specified in this bill, the offense is a class A misdemeanor if the law enforcement animal is not injured to the point of requiring veterinary care or treatment, a class E felony if the animal is seriously injured to the point of requiring veterinary care or treatment, and a class D felony if the assault results in the death of the animal.
Additionally, certain statutes have an exemption for bites from animals owned or used by a law enforcement agency. This bill adds an exemption for injuries caused by such animals.
This bill is the same as HB 1116 (2023) and similar to SB 189 (2023).
Statutes affected: