PRINTER'S NO. 251
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
339
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, COSTA, HUGHES, FONTANA, FARNESE, BROWNE,
DINNIMAN, SMITH, TEPLITZ, ALLOWAY, RAFFERTY AND VULAKOVICH,
JANUARY 28, 2015
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, JANUARY 28, 2015
AN ACT
Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in offenses against public order and
decency, further providing for the offense of cruelty to
animals.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 5511(c) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
ยง 5511. Cruelty to animals.
* * *
(c) Cruelty to animals.--
(1) A person commits an offense if he wantonly or
cruelly illtreats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any
animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of
care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons
any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance,
drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and
sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and
keep it dry.
(2) (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), a
person convicted of violating paragraph (1) commits a
summary offense.
(ii) A person convicted of violating paragraph (1)
commits a misdemeanor of the third degree and for a
second or subsequent time of violating paragraph (1)
commits a misdemeanor of the [third] second degree if all
of the following occurred:
(A) The action or omission for which the person
was convicted [for a subsequent time] was performed
on a dog or cat.
(B) The dog or cat was seriously injured,
suffered severe physical distress or was placed at
imminent risk of serious physical harm as the result
of the person's action or omission.
(3) This subsection shall not apply to activity
undertaken in normal agricultural operation.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20150SB0339PN0251 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21