Bill Text: TX HB285 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the prosecution of the offense of cruelty to nonlivestock animals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-12 - Filed [HB285 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB285-Introduced.html
| 89R2415 EAS-D | ||
| By: Ordaz | H.B. No. 285 | |
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| relating to the prosecution of the offense of cruelty to | ||
| nonlivestock animals. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 42.092, Penal Code, is amended by | ||
| amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as | ||
| follows: | ||
| (b) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, | ||
| knowingly, [ |
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| (1) tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or | ||
| causes serious bodily injury to an animal; | ||
| (2) without the owner's effective consent, kills, | ||
| administers poison to, or causes serious bodily injury to an | ||
| animal; | ||
| (3) fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, | ||
| water, care, or shelter for an animal in the person's custody; | ||
| (4) abandons unreasonably an animal in the person's | ||
| custody; | ||
| (5) transports or confines an animal in a cruel | ||
| manner; | ||
| (6) without the owner's effective consent, causes | ||
| bodily injury to an animal; | ||
| (7) causes one animal to fight with another animal, if | ||
| either animal is not a dog; | ||
| (8) uses a live animal as a lure in dog race training | ||
| or in dog coursing on a racetrack; or | ||
| (9) seriously overworks an animal. | ||
| (d-1) It is a defense to prosecution for alleged criminal | ||
| negligence that the conduct occurred during the actual discharge of | ||
| the actor's duties while employed as a veterinarian licensed under | ||
| Chapter 801, Occupations Code, or as a person assisting the | ||
| veterinarian. | ||
| SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only | ||
| to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. | ||
| An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is | ||
| governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, | ||
| and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For | ||
| purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the | ||
| effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred | ||
| before that date. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
