Bill Text: NJ A2041 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires court to issue animal protective orders against persons found guilty of abusing animals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-01-09 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [A2041 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A2041-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER
District 29 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Lampitt and Assemblyman Wimberly
SYNOPSIS
Requires court to issue animal protective orders against persons found guilty of abusing animals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the protection of animals from abuse and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. In addition to the provisions of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes concerning the confiscation and restrictions on ownership of animals, the court, upon finding a person guilty of abusing an animal or otherwise violating the State animal cruelty laws, may issue an animal protection order against the person adjudged guilty of the abuse or other violation, requiring the person to refrain from interacting with an animal permanently or for a period of time specified by the court. The animal protection order may apply to a specific animal with which the adjudged person has had contact, or any other animal, as determined to be appropriate by the court.
b. Any person who knowingly violates a condition of an animal protection order issued pursuant to this section, and, as a result, causes injury to the animal that is the subject of the animal protection order, shall be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would authorize a court, upon finding a person guilty of abusing an animal or otherwise violating the State animal cruelty laws, to issue an animal protection order against the person adjudged guilty of the abuse or other violation. The animal protection order would require the person to refrain from interacting with an animal permanently or for a period of time specified by the court. The animal protection order may apply to a specific animal with which the adjudged person has contact, or to any other animal, as determined to be appropriate by the court.
The bill would also provide that whenever a person knowingly violates the conditions of an animal protection order and, as a result, causes injury to the animal that is the subject of the animal protection order, the person would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.
