Key Points:

• Law redefines inhumane conditions for domestic animals

• Supporters revised the language to gain support

• Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the bill into law on June 27 

After an arduous journey through the state Legislature, a bill that will expand the definition of animal cruelty and make it easier for authorities to arrest pet abusers was signed into law on June 27.

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1658, which expands the definition of animal cruelty to include intentionally or recklessly failing to provide the necessary medical attention to prevent unreasonable suffering, and broadens the definition of cruel neglect to include a pet owner’s failure to provide an animal with access to shelter.

A person could face a misdemeanor charge under the expanded animal cruelty statute.

The law is intended to target the most egregious cases of animal abuse, said Arizona Humane Society President and CEO, Dr. Steven Hansen.

“This bill, in its final form, does the important things that it needs to do to protect companion animals, and it will give law enforcement and our investigation team the tools that we need to address the truly egregious cases of abuse to domestic animals,” Hansen said.

The legislation was prompted by an animal cruelty case in September 2023, when 55 disabled dogs were seized from a Chandler home. The homeowner was arrested on multiple charges of animal cruelty, fraud and theft.

If the new law had been in place at the time the dogs were seized, it would’ve enabled a quicker response from law enforcement officials, Hansen said.

“The difference is that we would have been able to respond almost immediately with the evidence that we had,” he said. “A judge would have written a search warrant much faster simply because of the change from ‘protracted suffering’ to ‘unreasonable suffering.’”

Supporters of the law feared the measure would stall during the legislative session after it encountered opposition from some lawmakers who said the legislation was too punitive.

The bill, originally introduced by Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, as Senate Bill 1234, received bipartisan support when it passed the Senate.

But the bill was double assigned to the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee and the House Judiciary Committee once it switched chambers.

Bolick allowed Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, to use a striker amendment on another one of her bills in order to keep the legislation moving through the process, and it passed the House Government Committee on March 26.

The House Committee of the Whole approved the measure on May 20, but the bill was in danger again of stalling after some lawmakers expressed concern with specific provisions of the measure.

Hansen previously said the Humane Society worked with Bolick and Blackman to revise certain portions of the legislation, which would have required drinkable water and appropriate food for the animals.

There were also concerns from legislators regarding what constituted a suitable shelter for pets.

The lawmakers moved quickly to revise the bill language in days before the  end of the legislative session. 

“It was quite a process,” Hansen said. “But it was a good process.”