GOVERNOR LINGLE SIGNS BILL TO BILL TO PROTECT PETS
For Immediate Release: June 1, 2007
HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today signed a bill to increase penalties for anyone convicted of cruelty to animals. The measure, which was signed at the Hawaiian Humane Society, builds on the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s continuing commitment to protect pets from cruelty and neglect and to ensure Hawai‘i pet owners have the resources to care for their animals.
The bill, SB1665 HD1 CD1 (Act 114), creates a felony offense for cruelty to animals. Current law pertaining to cruelty to animals makes the offense a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000. Act 114 adds a new Class C felony of “cruelty to animals in the first degree,” punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years. The bill also renames the existing misdemeanor provisions as “cruelty in the second degree,” which is punishable by a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.
“Our pets are part of our families, providing us with unconditional love and companionship,” said Governor Lingle. “In return, we need to ensure that our pets are properly cared for and protected from cruelty and neglect.”
Under the measure, cruelty in the first degree occurs when a person “intentionally or knowingly tortures, mutilates or poisons or causes the torture, mutilation or poisoning of any pet animal resulting in serious bodily injury or death to the pet animal.” The bill defines pets as dogs, cats, domesticated rabbits, guinea pigs, domesticated pigs, or caged birds that are not bred for consumption.
Cruelty in the second degree applies to “every living creature except a human being.” It includes torturing, tormenting, beating, starving, overloading or overdriving an animal.
Forty-two other states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands have felony cruelty animal laws. Hawai‘i’s new law takes effect immediately.
“Governor Lingle has codified the notion that the people of Hawai‘i love their pets and want their communities protected from violent crime,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “Her compassionate stand galvanizes our work to bring about a zero tolerance policy for depraved acts of animal cruelty in every state in the country.”
Since taking office in December 2002, the Lingle-Aiona Administration has worked with the humane societies on the different islands, animal rights advocates and pet owners to enact legislation to protect animals. New laws passed in recent years include:
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Permitting a law enforcement officer with a search warrant to enter property where there is probable cause to believe an animal is being abused or neglected in order to provide the animal with food, water and emergency medical care.
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Allowing the court to impound an abused animal and give it to a recognized shelter or organization to ensure the animal receives proper care.
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Ensuring that the costs incurred by a humane society or other organization to house and care for an impounded animal would be reimbursed to the agency.
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Requiring the state to provide suitable shelters for pets in the event of a disaster.
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Allowing pet owners to provide for the future care of their animals through wills or trusts.
The Administration also adopted and implemented administrative rules to minimize the amount of time pets entering the state have to stay in quarantine and to reduce the financial and emotional burden on pet owners. Since the “five-day-or-less” animal quarantine program began on June 30, 2003, 83 percent of pets arriving at Honolulu International Airport have qualified for direct release to their owners who have completed pre-arrival requirements. The program also allows Hawai‘i residents to travel with their pets and return to the state without quarantine if they follow specified procedures before they leave.
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For further information contact:
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor-Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708
Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043
