Animal cruelty bill clears House, with assurance it wouldn’t cover shooting a stray cat
The House has voted 62-5 in favor of HB 524, Rep. Ken Andrus’ bill to strengthen penalties for torture of a “companion animal” in Idaho, such as a pet dog, cat, pony or rabbit, but only after Andrus assured Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, that the bill wouldn’t make it a felony to shoot a stray cat.
Scott had several questions for Andrus about the bill, including this: “If this bill passes, would shooting a stray cat on one’s property be considered animal cruelty?” Andrus responded, “No, this would not be cruelty, because if you look at the definition of torture, it would not come under that definition.”
The definition of torture in the bill is “the intentional, knowing and willful infliction of unjustifiable and extreme or prolonged pain, mutilation or maiming done for the purpose of causing suffering.” The definition of “companion animal” is those “solely kept as pets and not used as production animals.”
“People in this state are, the population is not happy that we … do not provide stiffer penalties for people who mistreat animals,” Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, told the House. “And I think the message is clear to us that we need to do something. We cannot continually turn our heads and do nothing to stop this.” He said unlike bills proposed in past years, this measure has the support of nearly all of the state’s livestock industry groups. Andrus also said he believes that if lawmakers don’t stiffen the state’s animal cruelty laws, citizens will do it themselves through a ballot initiative.
Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, complimented Andrus for his work on the issue over the past four years. “The reason to do this is because this is the best thing possible,” Erpelding said. “While it isn’t everything, it is a piece of legislation that I think makes Idaho a little bit better.”
The five “no” votes came from Reps. Scott, Nate, Dixon, Batt and Harris. The bill now moves to the Senate side; it is co-sponsored by House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star.
