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HF4159 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Application of the Pet and Companion Animal Welfare Act expanded, and criminal penalties for maltreatment of animals increased.

AI Generated Summary

Purpose

To strengthen protections for pets and companion animals by expanding the reach of the Pet and Companion Animal Welfare Act and increasing penalties for maltreatment. The bill broadens who is covered by the Act and raises consequences for abusing, neglecting, or cruelly treating animals.

Main provisions

  • Scope and applicability

    • Sections 346.35 to 346.44 apply to all persons, including but not limited to veterinarians, animal boarding facilities, and commercial animal facilities.
    • The definitions used in these sections apply consistently to 346.35–346.44, ensuring the same meanings for key terms across the provisions.

  • Penalties for violations

    • A person found guilty of failing to comply with the provisions of sections 346.36 to 346.42 is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
    • If a person is convicted a second time or more for violations of 346.36 to 346.42, the offense becomes a felony with possible punishment of up to two years in jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

  • Repeal of a prior interpretation provision

    • Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 346.37 subdivision 5, which previously stated that a dispute over the meaning of abuse, cruelty, or neglect would be resolved by an expert opinion, is repealed.

Significant changes to existing law

  • Expanded scope: The Act now explicitly covers a wider set of individuals and facilities (including veterinarians and various animal facilities), not just a narrower group.
  • Higher penalties: Repeated violations carry felony charges with potential jail time and higher fines, strengthening deterrents against animal maltreatment.
  • Removal of expert-opinion interpretation: The prior mechanism that allowed expert opinion to resolve terms like abuse, cruelty, or neglect is removed, changing how disputes about those terms are resolved in practice.

Relevant changes to terminology and interpretation

  • Key terms used in the bill include: Pet and Companion Animal Welfare Act, abuse, cruelty, neglect, gross misdemeanor, felony, imprisonment, fine, veterinarians, animal boarding facilities, commercial animal facilities, sections 346.35 to 346.44, section 346.36, section 346.44, and section 346.37 subdivision 5 (repealed).

Relevant Terms

Pet and Companion Animal Welfare Act abuse cruelty neglect gross misdemeanor felony imprisonment fine veterinarians animal boarding facilities commercial animal facilities 346.35 to 346.44 346.36 346.44 346.37 subdivision 5 expert opinion

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 12, 2026HouseActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toPublic Safety Finance and Policy

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Expands applicability of sections 346.35 to 346.44 to include veterinarians, animal boarding facilities, and commercial animal facilities."
      ],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 346.36, subdivision 1 to redefine the scope of the Pet and Companion Animal Welfare Act to apply to a broader set of persons, including veterinarians, animal boarding facilities, and commercial animal facilities, and to define the terms used in sections 346.35 to 346.44.",
      "modified": [
        "Defines the meanings of terms used in sections 346.35 to 346.44."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "346.36",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 1"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Establishes penalties for noncompliance with sections 346.36 to 346.42; allows imprisonment up to 2 years; fines up to $10,000 for second/subsequent offenses."
      ],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 346.44 to set penalties for violations of sections 346.36 to 346.42, including gross misdemeanor for failure to comply and felony for a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment up to two years and fines up to $10,000.",
      "modified": []
    },
    "citation": "346.44",
    "subdivision": ""
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [],
      "removed": [
        "Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 346.37 subdivision 5."
      ],
      "summary": "Repeals Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 346.37, subdivision 5 (General Provisions - interpretation of abuse, cruelty, or neglect).",
      "modified": []
    },
    "citation": "346.37",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 5"
  }
]

Progress through the legislative process

17%
In Committee

Sponsors

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