SB263 Alabama 2017 Session

Updated Jul 24, 2021

Senate Bill

Enacted

Current Status

Regular Session 2017

Session

Sponsor

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Jimmy Holley
Republican
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.
Description: Under existing law, it is unlawful for a person to knowingly harass or injure a service dog, and a person violating this provision may be subject to criminal penalties. The definition of service dog does not include a therapy dog.
This bill would add a therapy dog to the definition of a service dog subject to criminal penalties if a person knowingly harasses or injures a therapy dog.
Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.
The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.
Subjects: Animals