CT HB05264

Insurers cannot cancel, refuse to renew, or refuse to issue homeowners or tenants insurance policies solely based on the breed of a service dog (trained to assist blind, deaf, or mobility impaired persons) or ownership of a therapy animal, effective October 1, 2026

Courts may appoint advocates to represent the interests of justice in proceedings concerning the welfare or custody of companion animals, with advocates selected from a Department of Agriculture-maintained list of attorneys and law students with animal law knowledge

Animal cruelty offenses under section 53-247 are upgraded to class D felonies for all offenses, removing the prior structure of fines up to $1,000 or one year imprisonment for first offenses

Third-degree assault statutes are expanded to include domestic animals as victims, making intentional physical injury, reckless serious physical injury, or criminally negligent injury with a weapon to a domestic animal a class A misdemeanor with mandatory one-year imprisonment

An 8-member Animal Abuse Task Force is established to study creating a state animal abuse registry, recommend restrictions on pretrial rehabilitation for animal cruelty offenders, and review animal cruelty statutes, with a report due by January 1, 2027