# Rhode Island S2151: AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS . Rhode Island S2151, AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lori Urso (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-10 (Signed by Governor — Chapter 051); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2151-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Rhode Island S2151 - State: Rhode Island - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS . - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-16 - Last action: 2026-06-10, Signed by Governor — Chapter 051 - Sponsor: Lori Urso (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 9 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (135 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Lose pet ownership after cruelty: cost, medium. If you are convicted or plead guilty or nolo for abandoning, neglecting, hazardously accumulating, or cruelly treating an animal taken under this law, you lose ownership and control of that animal. Ownership passes to the Rhode Island SPCA for suitable placement. - Owners must pay seized pet care: cost, medium. If your animal is held by a city or town shelter or the Rhode Island SPCA, you must pay reasonable care and treatment costs. The shelter or Society must send you a written demand for payment. If you do not pay or set up a plan within 30 days, they can sue you, and the demand must warn that nonpayme… - Court path to get pets back: mixed, medium. You can ask the district court to return your animal within 60 days after you are notified of the seizure. The court must serve a summons at least 14 days before the hearing and will consider the animal’s condition and your ability to provide safe, adequate care. The court can return the animal wit… - When animal control can take pets: mixed, medium. Animal control, local shelters, and the Rhode Island SPCA can take animals that are abandoned, neglected, hazardously accumulated, or cruelly treated. They can also act if an animal is aged, sick, injured, disabled, or unfit for labor. They must give the animal proper care while in custody and noti… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Lori Urso (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Peter A. Appollonio, Jr. (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Samuel W. Bell (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Andrew R. Dimitri (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Dawn Euer (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Victoria Gu (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Matthew L. LaMountain (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Todd M. Patalano (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Brian J. Thompson (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: David P. Tikoian (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-04 | House | CRUELTY TO ANIMALS PASSAGE IN CONCURRENCE | pass | 63 | 0 | | | 2026-05-28 | Senate | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS Passage | pass | 36 | 0 | | | 2026-05-28 | Senate | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS Passage | pass | 36 | 0 | | ## Actions (11) - 2026-06-10: Signed by Governor — Chapter 051 (Governor) - 2026-06-04: Transmitted to Governor (Governor) - 2026-06-04: House passed in concurrence (House) - 2026-06-02: Placed on the House Consent Calendar (06/04/2026) (House) - 2026-05-28: Senate read and passed (Senate) - 2026-05-22: Placed on Senate Calendar (05/28/2026) (Senate) - 2026-05-21: Committee recommends passage - 2026-05-19: Scheduled for consideration (05/21/2026) - 2026-04-14: Committee recommended measure be held for further study - 2026-04-10: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (04/14/2026) - 2026-01-16: Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary (Senate) ## Bill text - S2151 - As Introduced, 2026-01-16: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2151.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2151.pdf) ## Related bills - H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law) - H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law) - H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY . (became law) - H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law) - H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN . (became law) - H8437: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) ## Sources - [S2151 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2151.htm) - [S2151 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2151.pdf) ## Related - [H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8605-2026) - [H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8580-2026) - [H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8586-2026) - [H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8525-2026) - [H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8506-2026) - [H8437: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8437-2026) - [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills) - [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2151-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).