HB413 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Dexter Grimsley

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Dogs, service dogs, harassment or injuring prohibited, penalties, definition to include therapy dogs, Act 2016-132, 2016 Reg. Sess., am'd, Sec. 13A-11-231 am'd.

Summary

HB413 would add therapy dogs to the definition of service dogs and make harassment or injury of a therapy dog a crime with penalties.

What This Bill Does

It expands criminal penalties to cover harassment or injury of therapy dogs by including therapy dogs in the service dog definition. It defines key terms (harass, injure, notice, service dog, therapy dog) and specifies that a registered therapy dog, credentialed by a national therapy dog organization, is protected when performing its duties in public settings. It also notes the act becomes law after a set effective date and is exempt from local funding approvals due to changes to the crime definition.

Who It Affects

• Therapy dog handlers and therapy dog users (such as individuals who rely on therapy dogs for emotional support or assistance) who gain formal protection and clearer public-access status for therapy dogs.
• Persons who harass or injure service dogs or therapy dogs, who would face criminal penalties under the new protections.

Key Provisions

• Therapy dogs are added to the definition of service dogs, making harassment or injury to a therapy dog subject to criminal penalties.
• New definitions establish what constitutes harassment, injury, notice, service dog, and therapy dog; therapy dogs are trained emotional support dogs registered with a nonprofit national therapy dog organization and are covered in public-access contexts (libraries, hospitals, schools, courthouses, etc.).
• A registered therapy dog is covered from the time it leaves home until it returns while performing duties, with the handler required to be in good standing with the organization and have authorized credentials.
• The act clarifies that, although it would require local funding in some interpretations, it is exempt from Amendment 621 local-funding requirements because it changes a crime definition; the law becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage.

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