HB259 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul DeMarco

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Police animals, search and rescue animals, fire detection and protection animals, criminal penalties for harassing, interfering, taunting, attacking, or entering containment area of, restitution, Sec. 13A-11-15 repealed

Summary

HB259 makes it a crime to harass or harm police and search-and-rescue animals and their handlers, sets penalties and restitution, and repeals a prior related statute.

What This Bill Does

HB259 defines terms like containment area, handler, police animal, and search-and-rescue animal. It makes harassing, interfering with, or obstructing a police or SAR animal or its handler a Class A misdemeanor. It also sets penalties for harming or killing such animals: non-severe harm is a Class A misdemeanor, while serious harm, theft, or death is a Class C felony. It authorizes restitution to the animal's owner and agency for costs like veterinary care, replacement, lost wages, and equipment, and it repeals a prior related statute.

Who It Affects

• General public — could be charged with Class A misdemeanor for harassing, interfering with, or entering containment areas of police or SAR animals.
• Police, firefighters, and other handlers of police/SAR animals — protections and penalties defined; enforcement responsibilities clarified.
• Owners or keepers of animals — can be held responsible if their animal taunts or endangers a police or SAR animal.
• Law enforcement and related agencies — may receive restitution from violators for expenses such as veterinary costs, replacement of the animal, lost wages, and damaged equipment.

Key Provisions

• Section 1 defines containment area, handler, harass, physical harm, police animal, and search and rescue animal.
• Section 2 creates offenses and penalties: Class A misdemeanor for harassing/interfering with animals or handlers; Class A misdemeanor for non-severe harm to an animal; Class C felony for serious harm, theft, or death of an animal; Class A misdemeanor for entering containment areas or releasing animals; owner liability for taunting or endangering animals.
• Section 3 applies the act to both on-duty and off-duty animals and outlines when it applies if the animal is not in the immediate presence of the handler.
• Section 4 allows restitution to the owner and agency for veterinary costs, replacement costs, lost wages, replacement staff costs, lost services, damaged equipment, and training/retraining expenses.
• Section 5 provides a defense and exceptions related to emergency euthanasia and reasonable training/handling actions.
• Section 6 repeals Section 13A-11-15 of the Alabama Code.
• Section 7 states the act is excluded from certain constitutional requirements because it creates a new crime or changes an existing one.
• Section 8 sets the act to take effect on the first day of the third month after passage and approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Animals