Kentucky 2022 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 28 R · 6 D cosponsors

HB 20 — AN ACT relating to torture of a dog or cat.

Last action — posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 10, 2022

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

This bill died with 2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” 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This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis.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

Amend KRS 525.135, relating to torture of a dog or cat, to add specific acts to definition of torture; make all violations a Class D felony; make each act of torture prosecutable as a separate offense; make the exemptions applicable only where there is no intent to cause, increase, or prolong the pain and suffering of the dog or cat.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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Compared against the Kentucky Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill amends the definition of torture and modifies the penalties related to the torture of dogs and cats.

  • KRS 525.135

    intentional

    Removes the term 'intentional' from the definition of 'torture'.

  • KRS 525.135

    domestic

    Removes the word 'domestic' from the definition of animals protected under the statute.

  • KRS 525.135

    a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for each subsequent offense if the dog or cat suffers physical injury as a result of the torture, and a Class D felony if the dog or cat suffers serious physical injury or death as a result of the torture → a Class D felony

    Changes the offense classification for all instances of torture of a dog or cat to solely a Class D felony.

  • KRS 525.135

    while intentionally restraining with the intent to cause or the wanton disregard for extreme physical pain, serious injury, or death; → while restraining the dog or cat with wanton disregard for its pain, suffering, injury, or death;

    Clarifies the language regarding the conditions under which torture occurs during restraint.

  • KRS 525.135

    a dog or cat, which may include being:

    Removes the specific examples of situations where torture may occur.

  • KRS 525.135

    as used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

    Removes the introductory clause from the section definition.

  • KRS 525.135

    such that the dog or cat cannot seek escape[animal] → to keep a dog or cat confined to a finite space such that the dog or cat cannot seek escape

    Provides a clearer definition for 'restrain'.

Action History

  1. posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 10, 2022

  2. floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute

  3. 2nd reading, to Rules

  4. reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)

  5. to Judiciary (H)

  6. to Committee on Committees (H)

  7. introduced in House

  8. Prefiled by the sponsor(s).

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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51 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 87 not signed on

Sponsors (51)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (87)

87 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

Subjects

public-safety
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 HB 20 do?
Amend KRS 525.135, relating to torture of a dog or cat, to add specific acts to definition of torture; make all violations a Class D felony; make each act of torture prosecutable as a separate offense; make the exemptions applicable only where there is no intent to cause, increase, or prolong the pain and suffering of the dog or cat.
Who sponsors HB 20?
HB 20 is sponsored by Chris Freeland (Republican), Kim Banta (Republican), Tina Bojanowski (Democrat), Adam Bowling (Republican), Randy Bridges (Republican), M. Cantrell, Jennifer Decker (Republican), J. Dixon, Ryan Dotson (Republican), J. DuPlessis, Daniel Fister (Republican), K. Flood, Al Gentry (Democrat), D. Graham, David Hale (Republican), Samara Heavrin (Republican), Thomas Huff (Republican), J. Jenkins, DJ Johnson (Republican), Kim King (Republican), Nima Kulkarni (Democrat), William Lawrence (Republican), Scott Lewis (Republican), Matt Lockett (Republican), C. Massey, Bobby McCool (Republican), C. Miller, P. Minter, Kimberly Poore Moser (Republican), Jason Nemes (Republican), David W. Osborne (Republican), R. Palumbo, P. Pratt, M. Prunty, J. Raymond, S. Sheldon, Tom Smith (Republican), Pamela Stevenson (Democrat), Nancy Tate (Republican), Walker Thomas (Republican), K. Timoney, Bill Wesley (Republican), S. Westrom, B. Wheatley, Richard White (Republican), Lisa Willner (Democrat), T.J. Roberts (Republican), Ken Fleming (Republican), and Steve Bratcher (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 20?
This bill died with 2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” 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 HB 20?
Track HB 20 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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