CS/CS/HB 241 Summary

• Courts may award petitioners temporary exclusive care, possession, or control of animals owned or possessed by the petitioner, respondent, or minor children in the household during domestic violence injunction proceedings.

• Courts may order respondents to have no contact with animals and prohibit taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, harming, or disposing of animals, with exceptions for animals owned primarily for agricultural purposes and service animals where the respondent is the handler.

• The animal protection provisions apply to both temporary injunctions granted ex parte and final injunctions granted after notice and hearing.

• Courts must consider whether respondents have intentionally injured or killed family pets as a factor when determining if petitioners have reasonable cause to believe they are in imminent danger of domestic violence.

• The act takes effect July 1, 2020.