THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF UTAH
4242 SOUTH 300 WEST
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84107-1415
(801) 261-2919 phone • (801) 261-9577 fax
www.utahhumane.org
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PRESS RELEASE
RELEASE DATE:
Immediately (January 25, 2008)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Gene Baierschmidt (801) 261-2919 phone
HUMANE SOCIETY ADAMANTLY OPPOSES SB 117
"We need to stop SB 117 at once. It would set back animal-protection laws in Utah by half a century." That’s the urgent message from the Humane Society of Utah.
Two bills are currently before the Utah State Legislature that deal with the issue of penalties for animal torture. The Humane Society of Utah strongly supports SB 102, the bill proposed by Sen. Gene Davis, which would make the intentional torture of an animal a third-degree felony on the first offense, and leaves the existing animal code in place.
The Society is adamantly opposed to Sen. Allen Christensen’s bill, SB 117, because it would make such torture a felony offense only on the second conviction within five years. This bill also seriously weakens the current animal cruelty code. The Humane Society believes it is a flawed bill for the following reasons:
It requires that a person be convicted twice within five years before he could be charged with a third-degree felony for torturing an animal.
It adds numerous new exclusions to prosecution for livestock, poultry, domestic furbearers, circuses, and rodeo animals. Animal that are presently covered by the animal abuse laws would no longer be protected from possibly abusive owners and their employees.
It semantically reduces the seriousness of the failure to provide necessary food, water, and shelter for non-excluded animals (dogs and cats and other household pets) from "animal cruelty" to "animal neglect."
It would allow people to kill an animal to protect their property from destruction or substantial damage.
It adds further exclusions to prosecution for the handling and discipline of animals or livestock in accordance with accepted animal husbandry or customary farming practices.
Throughout the bill, undefined terms are used in its language which will be the basis of endless legal arguments as to the term’s meaning and intent.
If SB 117 passes, it will give Utah some of the weakest animal-protection laws in the United States of America. "We were hoping for a compromise to be reached between Senators Davis and Christensen, but at this point we doubt that’s going to happen," said Mr. Baierschmidt.
Please contact your legislators immediately and ask them to OPPOSE SB 117. You can do this by going to the HSU website, www.utahhumane.org, and clicking on the "Animal Cruelty" link.
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