The Arizona Legislature passed a bill to tighten animal cruelty laws on Thursday. But the final version of the bill was gutted from what was originally introduced, and the sponsor thinks it’s political.
The bill was inspired by an extreme animal abuse case in Chandler two years ago in which 55 dogs were kept in dangerous conditions.
Republican Sen. Shawnna Bolick’s original bill would have required pet owners to provide potable water, edible food (appropriate for the species) and access to shelter in certain cases.
The watered-down bill that passed this week doesn’t include the sections about food and water and has a narrower requirement for shelter.
The bill makes it a crime to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fail to give pets medical care to stop “unreasonable suffering.” The bill also expands the law to include birds, reptiles and amphibians into the definition of pets.
The bill faced many hiccups, including a long stalling period when it didn’t get a vote in the state House.
Bolick said she believes opposition to her bill is “absolutely” political and related to her past votes on other issues.
Bolick noted the opposition to her bill by members of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, like Austin Smith, who repeatedly tweeted about the bill in relation to Bolick’s vote on an abortion measure last year.
“We have people in our state government who are fanatical for animal rights and at the same time turning a blind eye to abortion without restriction. Disgusting. Pray for them,” Smith wrote on X.
“Obviously there are still members who are focused in the rear-view mirror, and, you know, this is 2025, it's June of 2025, and if they need to be looking in their rear-view mirror, there's obviously a problem. Obviously Turning Point does not like me, so anytime that they can potentially kill a bill or spread misinformation, I guess they have,” she said.
Lawmakers and Smith did not respond to requests for comment about any political motive on the animal cruelty issue.
The bill, SB 1658, passed 25-5 on Thursday. The only opposition was from Republicans.
Critics have said they oppose the bill because it could negatively affect farmers with livestock and working animals, even though the bill has carveouts exempting them.
Dr. Steven Hansen, president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society, was one of the main advocates for the bill. He told lawmakers that in the Chandler case, the judge couldn’t write a warrant because the current law requires a standard of protracted suffering for two weeks, which he said is unacceptable. The bill is important, Hansen said, because it gives law enforcement the power to handle future abuse situations as they should.
"Under current law, vague definitions can limit our ability to hold offenders accountable in animal cruelty cases. SB 1658 would address some of these shortcomings by providing law enforcement with the legal clarity needed to take action in cases where animals are in need of protection," Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said in a statement. "This bill represents a vital step forward in combating the growing issue of animal cruelty."
Rep. Rachel Keshel (R-Tucson) was an opponent of the bill this year and said she’s concerned it could result in the unfair prosecution of responsible pet owners.
Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) argued against the bill as well. He claimed it would unfairly penalize homeless people, although the bill also states it wouldn’t apply to dogs “under the custody or control of a person who has no permanent place of residence, access to shelter.”
“There are too many stories of animal cruelty around Arizona, leading to the necessity of this legislation to help protect their well-being. These innocent animals are voiceless, but when they suffer, it speaks volumes. It is time for our state to take decisive action to defend the animals that depend on us for safekeeping. I applaud both my Republican and Democrat colleagues for their support in passing this bill out of the Senate, and I call on Gov. [Katie] Hobbs to sign the proposal when it comes to her desk,” Bolick said in a statement on Thursday.
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