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LouisianaHB 4922025 Regular SessionHouse

CRIME: Provides relative to cruelty to animals (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Sponsored By: Lauren Ventrella (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Judiciary CAdministration of Criminal Justice

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.

Protection for people delivering found animals

Taking an animal you find running loose to an animal control center, shelter, or rescue location does not count as abandonment. This protection applies when you deliver the animal into that location’s care.

Broader criminal penalties for severe animal cruelty

Aggravated cruelty includes torture, maiming, mutilation, and acts or failures to act causing unnecessary or unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. It also covers livestock tampering at public exhibitions or private sales, and causing or arranging another person’s prohibited act. Anyone responsible for an animal faces charges when unjustifiably withholding food, water, shelter, or veterinary care causes its death. That failure-to-provide-care offense requires intent or criminal negligence. Penalties are a $5,000–$25,000 fine, 1–10 years in prison, or both. When multiple animals are tortured, maimed, mutilated, or subjected to livestock tampering, each act is a separate offense. Standard transportation and agricultural processing of agricultural products are exempt from these aggravated-cruelty rules.

Tougher penalties for simple animal cruelty

Simple cruelty covers intentionally or with criminal negligence tormenting, cruelly beating, unjustifiably injuring, or abandoning an animal. It also covers failing to give a confined animal proper food, water, or shelter; missing any one is enough. A first offense carries up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. Courts can also order payment of the animal’s housing and medical costs and ban keeping animals for up to one year. Repeat offenses carry a $5,000–$25,000 fine, 1–10 years in prison, or both. Courts must also ban repeat offenders from owning or keeping animals for up to five years. Offenders must complete five eight-hour days of court-approved community service—40 hours—which the court cannot suspend. Courts can order a psychological evaluation or anger management for a first conviction and must do so for repeat convictions. The offender pays those costs.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Lauren Ventrella

    Republican • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 141 • No: 0

Senate vote • 6/2/2025

Read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

Yes: 38 • No: 0

House vote • 5/7/2025

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

Yes: 92 • No: 0

House vote • 4/29/2025

Reported with amendments

Yes: 11 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 200.

    6/8/2025House

  2. Effective date: 08/01/2025.

    6/8/2025House

  3. Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

    6/5/2025House

  4. Signed by the President of the Senate.

    6/4/2025Senate

  5. Received from the Senate without amendments.

    6/3/2025House

  6. Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

    6/3/2025House

  7. Read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

    6/2/2025Senate

  8. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

    6/1/2025Senate

  9. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

    5/29/2025Senate

  10. Reported favorably.

    5/28/2025Senate

  11. Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.

    5/8/2025Senate

  12. Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

    5/7/2025House

  13. Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

    5/7/2025Senate

  14. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/07/2025.

    5/6/2025House

  15. Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

    4/30/2025House

  16. Reported with amendments (11-0).

    4/29/2025House

  17. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

    4/14/2025House

  18. Prefiled.

    4/4/2025House

  19. Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

    4/4/2025House

Bill Text

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