Delaware 149th General Assembly (2017-2018) Status: Passed Senate 3 D cosponsors

SB 217 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 AND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRUELTY TO DOGS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE HUMANE HANDLING, CARE, AND TREATMENT OF DOGS.

Last action — Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 149th General Assembly (2017-2018). It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

This Act strengthens restrictions on the tethering of dogs by doing the following: 1. Changes the crime of cruelty to animals as follows: • Removes the existing crime of tethering a dog for 18 hours in a 24 hour period and makes it a crime to tether a dog outside for more than 30 minutes when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. • Removes the exception for tethering a dog who is a nursing mother or a dog under 4 months of age if the dog is tethered on land owned or leased by the dog's owner. • Prohibits tethering a dog for more than 30 minutes between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. • Adds a third or subsequent violation of the tethering requirements in § 3044F of Title 16 to the crime of cruelty to animals. 2. Changes the civil specifications for the humane handling, care, and treatment of dogs as follows: • Requires that the tether not be attached to a choke, pinch, or prong collar. • Requires that the owner be present on the property. • Imposes a higher civil penalty for subsequent for violations of § 3044F, the specifications for the humane handling, care, and treatment of dogs. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards to the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 1 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits

  3. Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

  4. Passed By Senate. Votes: 12 YES 7 NO 2 NOT VOTING

  5. Amendment SA 2 to SB 217 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  6. Lifted From Table in Senate

  7. Amendment SA 2 to SB 217 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  8. Laid On Table in Senate

  9. Amendment SA 1 to SB 217 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 17 YES 2 NOT VOTING 2 ABSENT

  10. Reported Out of Committee (Judicial & Community Affairs) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits

  11. Introduced and Assigned to Judicial & Community Affairs Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 6 co-sponsors · 53 not signed on · 7 voted No

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (6)

Not signed on (53)

53 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

SM

Passed 12 Yea · 7 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 7302
Democratic 5000
Republican 0400
Total 12702
% of votes cast 57%33%0%10%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Anthony Delcollo — Nay
Brian J. Bushweller — Yea
Bruce C. Ennis — Not Voting
Catherine Cloutier — Yea
Colin Bonini — Nay
David B. McBride — Yea
Ernesto B Lopez — Yea
F. Gary Simpson — Nay
Gregory F. Lavelle — Not Voting
Harris B. McDowell — Yea
Margaret Rose Henry — Yea
Robert Marshall — Yea
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Nay
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Nay
Dave G. Lawson Republican Nay
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 217 do?
This Act strengthens restrictions on the tethering of dogs by doing the following: 1. Changes the crime of cruelty to animals as follows: • Removes the existing crime of tethering a dog for 18 hours in a 24 hour period and makes it a crime to tether a dog outside for more than 30 minutes when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. • Removes the exception for tethering a dog who is a nursing mother or a dog under 4 months of age if the dog is tethered on land owned or leased by the dog's owner. • Prohibits tethering a dog for more than 30 minutes between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. • Adds a third or subsequent violation of the tethering requirements in § 3044F of Title 16 to the crime of cruelty to animals. 2. Changes the civil specifications for the humane handling, care, and treatment of dogs as follows: • Requires that the tether not be attached to a choke, pinch, or prong collar. • Requires that the owner be present on the property. • Imposes a higher civil penalty for subsequent for violations of § 3044F, the specifications for the humane handling, care, and treatment of dogs. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards to the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors SB 217?
SB 217 is sponsored by John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Trey Paradee (Democratic), John J. Viola, Michael Mulrooney, John A. Kowalko, Gerald L. Brady, Margaret Rose Henry, and Andria L. Bennett.
What is the current status of SB 217?
This bill died with 149th General Assembly (2017-2018). It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 217?
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