An array of agriculture groups, from the Food Producers to the Idaho Cattle Association to the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, testified in favor of new animal-cruelty legislation in a House committee this afternoon, as did veterinarians and animal advocates. The bill, HB 524, defines “companion animals” and animal torture, and makes torture of a companion animal a felony on the first offense, if the offender has been convicted of injuring a person within the previous 10 years. Without that past offense, it makes animal torture a felony on a second or subsequent conviction.

The measure also provides for a pre-sentence investigation in animal torture cases, including a psychological evaluation. Only the Idaho Farm Bureau spoke against the bill; lobbyist Russ Hendricks said the bureau’s position is that it won’t support penalties for animal abuse stricter than the one enacted in 2012, which made a third offense a felony, and had drawn a “line in the sand” at that law.

“We’ve heard testimony that this was not sufficient, that there are groups that would keep wanting more and more,” said Rep. Ken Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs, the committee chairman and lead sponsor of the bill. “I would say this is my line in the sand. I think it is reasonable. It protects agriculture.” He noted that the bill excludes regular livestock practices, including branding and rodeos, from its definitions. “So this legislation protects those things,” he said. “I think we need to have that protection and it does.”

When Rep. Gayle Batt, R-Wilder, asked Andrus if he’d obtained commitments from animal-rights groups that the bill would head off any ballot initiative, he said no; he hadn’t even talked with them about it. “In my view, we are light-years ahead of where we were two years ago in making this the proper legislation,” Andrus said. The bill now heads to the full House.