HB2589 Summary

• Requires judges to notify defendants convicted of animal abuse or neglect crimes (age 18+) that they must register with the national Do Not Adopt Registry maintained by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

• Defendants must register within 10 days of conviction and annually for 10 years, providing name, date of birth, physical description, and offense details to the registry.

• Failure to register is a business offense with fines of $100 for the first offense, $500 for the second, and $1,000 for the third or subsequent offense.

• Animal shelters, pet stores, breeders, and individuals must search the Do Not Adopt Registry before selling, transferring, delivering, or placing a companion animal with another person.

• Registry is free of charge, publicly accessible, and searchable by full name and birthdate.