Proposed New Legislation
AN ACT to amend 813.12 (1) (am) (intro.) and 813.12 (1) (am) 6.; and to create 813.12 (1) (ab), 813.12 (1) (am) 4. and 813.12 (1) (f) of the statutes; relating to: extending domestic abuse restraining orders and injunctions to include abuse to animals and threats of abuse to animals.
Under current law, "domestic abuse" is defined as actions by an adult family or household member, an adult caregiver, an adult former spouse, an adult in a current or former dating relationship, or an adult parent of a child in common with another person intentionally to inflict physical pain, physical injury, or illness upon another
family or household member, intentionally to impair the physical condition of the
other person, to commit sexual assault on the other person, to commit criminal
damage to the property of the other person, or to threaten to commit any of those acts against the other person.
A victim of domestic abuse may petition the court to obtain first a restraining order and then an injunction against the family or household member who committed the domestic abuse.
This bill would expand the definition of domestic abuse to include harm or threat of harm to the animals owned by the petitioner, the respondent, either of their children, or household members. It provides an exception for actions taken to animals for legitimate and necessary agricultural or veterinary purposes.