H.B. No. 448 proposes an amendment to the Health and Safety Code by adding Section 822.008, which establishes a process for municipal animal control authorities to seize and impound dangerous or aggressive dogs within a municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The bill defines an "aggressive dog" as one that makes an unprovoked attack on domestic animals or livestock, resulting in bodily injury, and occurring outside of a secure enclosure. To initiate the seizure, the animal control authority must receive a notarized affidavit signed by at least two residents from different households in the extraterritorial jurisdiction, alleging that the dog has repeatedly attacked and that its presence creates an unsafe environment.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that the authority can only act if there is no authorized animal control authority operating in the extraterritorial jurisdiction, or if the existing authority does not provide for the seizure or impoundment of such dogs. The act is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds vote from both houses of the legislature, or on September 1, 2025, if that vote is not achieved.

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