Bill Text: TX HB448 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a notarized affidavit requesting a municipal animal control authority to seize and impound a dangerous or aggressive dog in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-02-28 - Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs [HB448 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB448-Introduced.html
| 89R3617 JDK-F | ||
| By: Gervin-Hawkins | H.B. No. 448 | |
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| relating to a notarized affidavit requesting a municipal animal | ||
| control authority to seize and impound a dangerous or aggressive | ||
| dog in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 822, Health and Safety | ||
| Code, is amended by adding Section 822.008 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 822.008. NOTARIZED AFFIDAVIT REQUESTING MUNICIPAL | ||
| ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY TO OPERATE IN EXTRATERRITORIAL | ||
| JURISDICTION. (a) In this section, "aggressive dog" means a dog | ||
| that makes an unprovoked attack on a domestic animal or livestock | ||
| that: | ||
| (1) causes bodily injury to the animal or livestock; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) occurs in a place other than an enclosure: | ||
| (A) in which the dog was being kept; and | ||
| (B) that is reasonably secured to prevent the dog | ||
| from leaving the enclosure. | ||
| (b) A municipal animal control authority in the | ||
| municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction may seize and impound | ||
| a dangerous or aggressive dog until a court orders its disposition | ||
| if: | ||
| (1) the authority receives a notarized affidavit | ||
| signed by at least two residents from different households in the | ||
| extraterritorial jurisdiction requesting assistance from the | ||
| authority and alleging that: | ||
| (A) a dangerous or aggressive dog has repeatedly | ||
| attacked humans, domestic animals, or livestock within the | ||
| extraterritorial jurisdiction; and | ||
| (B) due to the presence of a dangerous or | ||
| aggressive dog, the extraterritorial jurisdiction is an unsafe | ||
| environment for humans, domestic animals, or livestock; and | ||
| (2) in the extraterritorial jurisdiction: | ||
| (A) no animal control authority is authorized to | ||
| operate; or | ||
| (B) the operating animal control authority does | ||
| not provide for the seizure or impoundment of dangerous or | ||
| aggressive dogs. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
