CS for SB 1156 — "Pam Rock Act" (Dangerous Dogs)

• Creates a statewide Dangerous Dog Registry maintained by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, providing a searchable online database of dogs declared dangerous by local authorities, including the dog's photo, owner name/address, county, and proof of vaccination, spay/neuter, microchip, enclosure, and insurance

• Requires mandatory confiscation, impoundment, and holding of dogs under investigation for aggressively biting, attacking, or endangering a human, replacing the previous discretionary authority; dogs classified as dangerous due to severe injury to a human must be destroyed in an expeditious and humane manner

• Mandates that owners of dogs classified as dangerous obtain liability insurance coverage of at least $100,000 to cover damages from an attack causing bodily injury, and requires the dog to be spayed or neutered and permanently identified by tattoo or microchip

• Increases the civil penalty for violations of dangerous dog requirements from a maximum of $500 to $1,000 per violation, and changes owner liability for unclassified dogs that cause severe injury or death — owners with knowledge of dangerous propensities who fail to secure the dog in a proper enclosure commit a second-degree misdemeanor

• Expands the definition of "proper enclosure" to apply to all dogs (not just those already classified as dangerous), including confinement indoors, in a locked fenced yard, or in a securely enclosed and locked pen or structure designed to prevent escape and entry by young children