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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Cole
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/26/08
HB
SHORT TITLE Animal Cruelty Task Force
SB 309
ANALYST Ortiz
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$160.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates HB443
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Attorney General’s Office (AGO)
Department of Game and Fish (DGF)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 309 appropriates $160 thousand from the General Fund to the Office of the Attorney
General for the purpose of an animal cruelty task force.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $160 thousand contained in this bill is a Recurring expense to the General
Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2009 Fiscal Year shall
revert to the General Fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Animal cruelty is considered one of the more destructive ills in society; often linked with
sociopathic behavior, cruel and abusive behavior toward animals reflects a severe lack of moral
responsibility and social conscience. It can be inflicted in a wide variety of ways and can be
rooted in a variety of causes. In turn, this disturbing and malicious behavior gravely infects and
poisons our social fabric. Animal cruelty is sometimes linked with other criminal behavior such
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Senate Bill 309 – Page
2
as gang activity, drugs, and violent anti-social behavior. Research has shown that people who
behave cruelly toward animals are more likely to behave similarly toward humans.
Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty:
71% of abused women report that their batterers have threatened to hurt/kill their pets and have
done so.
32% of battered women with children report that their children have hurt or killed pets.
25%-48% of battered women delay leaving an abusive situation for fear of what will happen to
her pet if left behind.
40% of battered women report that they have been forced to participate in sexual acts with
animals as part of their domestic terrorization.
Sex Offenders and Animal Cruelty:
48% of rapists have committed acts of animal cruelty as children or adolescents.
30% of child molesters have committed acts of animal cruelty as children or adolescents
15% of all active rapists also rape animals.
Child Abuse and Animal Cruelty:
80% of homes in which animal control agencies found abused/neglected pets there had been
previous investigations by child welfare agencies of physical abuse and neglect.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
Duplicates HB443
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
According to the AGO, The enforcement of the Animal Cruelty laws often take the combined
resources of several agencies. For example a sting operation involving an illegal cockfighting
operation might involve hundreds of offenders who are present at the cockfighting event to either
bet on the outcome or who have roosters who are fighting. In order for law enforcement to have
a successful operation it may take as many as 100 law enforcement personnel to arrest, secure
and surveill all of the offenders. Often times the law enforcement personnel come from local
departments with limited budgets for overtime and as a consequence have a difficult time
participating in operations requiring most if not all their people used to participate in the
operation. The result of not enacting this bill could act to the detriment of conducting these
operations.
EO/bb