There are 27 days remaining in the 89th Texas Legislative Regular Session, and there are several dog bills under consideration. Below are status updates for bills that received consideration last week or will receive consideration this week:
House Bill 2806 and SB 155 – Dangerous Dogs– Previous Alert
Status: HB 2806 had a hearing on Monday, April 28 in the House Public Health Committee and the bill remains pending in that committee. SB 155 has a hearing tomorrow, May 6 in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee at 8:00am.
Summary: HB 2806 and SB 155 expand the definition of a dog dangerous to include bodily injury. If a dog is deemed dangerous and causes bodily injury it would be a class B misdemeanor. The AKC is deeply concerned that the proposed changes in HB 2806 are overly broad and could have far-reaching consequences for responsible dog owners across Texas. As written, this bill could result in misdemeanor charges for owners whose dogs are not truly dangerous, such as when a playful puppy nips, or a dog causes accidental, minor discomfort. This approach fails to distinguish between genuinely dangerous behavior and normal, non-aggressive canine actions, and could unfairly penalize responsible pet owners.
Concerned dog owners should contact members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee this week to oppose SB 155.
Senate Criminal Justice Committee contact information:
Chair Pete Flores Pete.Flores@senate.texas.gov
Vice Chair Tan Parker Tan.Parker@senate.texas.gov
Sen. Brett Hagenbuch Brett.Hagenbuch@senate.texas.gov
Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa Juan.Hinojosa@senate.texas.gov
Sen. Joan Huffman Joan.Huffman@senate.texas.gov
Sen. Phil King Phil.King@senate.texas.gov
Sen. Borris L. Miles Borris.Miles@senate.texas.gov
House Bill 349- Removing Dogs from Vehicles– Previous alert
Status: The Texas House voted in favor of HB 349 on May 1 by a vote of 86-50. The bill will now go to the Texas Senate for further consideration.
Summary: Texas House Bill 349 seeks to offer liability protections for individuals who remove a domestic animal from a motor vehicle if the person has a good faith and reasonable belief that such removal is necessary to avoid imminent harm to the animal. The American Kennel Club (AKC) is concerned that without additional clarifications, HB 349 could lead to unintended consequences. Concerned Texas residents are encouraged to contact their State Senator to express concerns. Contact information may be found on the Texas Legislature website.
Senate Bill 2801- Field Trials– Previous alert
Status: The Texas Senate unanimously approved SB 2801 on May 1. It will now go to the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, where it awaits a hearing.
Summary: Senate Bill 2801 would allow for field trials for fur-bearing animals and squirrels to apply for single permit for an event and exempt individual participants for the hunting license requirement. The AKC supports SB 2801 and encourages dog owners to contact the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism in support of the bill. Committee contact information can be found HERE.
For more information or for more updates on Texas legislation, please contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.