Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 77 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Plumb, Jen

Final action

Governor Signed 3/25/2025

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• expands and clarifies criminal provisions relating to police service canines to include other animals used by public safety organizations to assist with duties related to public safety; and
• adds a coordination clause to merge the changes to Section 76-9-306 in this bill, if this bill and H.B. 21, Criminal Code Recodification and Cross References, both pass and become law, due to Section 76-9-306 being renumbered and split into two separate sections in H.B. 21.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

4
76-9-306
SB0077
HB0021
76-9-306
0
Public Safety Animal Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Jen Plumb
House Sponsor: Jefferson S. Burton
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions relating to public safety animals.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
expands and clarifies criminal provisions relating to police service canines to include 
other animals used by public safety organizations to assist with duties related to public 
safety; and
adds a coordination clause to merge the changes to Section 76-9-306 in this bill, if this 
bill and H.B. 21, Criminal Code Recodification and Cross References, both pass and 
become law, due to Section 76-9-306 being renumbered and split into two separate 
sections in H.B. 21.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a coordination clause.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
76-9-306
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 264
Utah Code Sections Affected by Coordination Clause:
AMENDS:
76-9-306
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 264
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
76-9-306
 is amended to read:
76-9-306
. Public safety animals -- Causing injury, death, or interference -- 
Penalties.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Handler" means a law enforcement officer who is specially trained, and uses a 
police service canine during the course of the performance of his law enforcement 
duties.
(b)
"Police service canine" means any dog used by a law enforcement agency, which is 
specially trained for law enforcement work, or any animal contracted to assist a law 
enforcement agency in the performance of law enforcement duties.
(a)
"Handler" means an individual who uses a public safety animal to assist with duties 
of a public safety organization.
(b)
"Public safety animal" means an animal that a public safety organization:
(i)
owns or uses under contract; and
(ii)
uses, or allows another public safety organization to use, to assist with duties of a 
public safety organization.
(c)
"Public safety organization" means a government entity that provides a law 
enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, military, or other public safety service.
(2)
It is a second degree felony for a person to intentionally or knowingly cause death to a 
police service canine
public safety animal
.
(3)
It is a third degree felony for a person to intentionally or knowingly:
(a)
cause bodily injury to a 
police service canine
public safety animal
;
(b)
engage in conduct likely to cause bodily injury or death to 
a police service canine
a 
public safety animal
; or
(c)
lay out, place, or administer any poison, trap, substance, or object which is likely to 
produce bodily injury or death to a 
police service canine
public safety animal
.
(4)
It is a class A misdemeanor for a person to intentionally or knowingly:
(a)
taunt, torment, strike, or otherwise assault a 
police service canine
public safety 
animal
;
(b)
throw any object or substance at, or in the path of, a 
police service canine
public 
safety animal
;
(c)
interfere with or obstruct a 
police service canine
public safety animal
, or attempt to, 
or interfere with the handler of 
the canine
a public safety animal
 in a manner that 
inhibits, restricts, or deprives the handler of control of the 
canine
public safety 
animal
;
(d)
release a 
police service canine
public safety animal
 from its area of control, such as 
a vehicle, kennel, or pen, or trespass in that area; or
(e)
place any food, object, or substance into a 
police service canine's
public safety 
animal's
 area of control without the permission of the handler.
(5)
(a)
A 
police service canine
public safety animal
 is exempt from quarantine or other 
animal control ordinances if 
it
the public safety animal
 bites any 
person
individual
while under proper 
police 
supervision 
by a public safety organization 
or 
during 
routine veterinary care.
(b)
The 
law enforcement agency
public safety organization
 and the 
canine's
public 
safety animal's
 handler shall make the 
canine
public safety animal
 available for 
examination at any reasonable time and shall notify the local health officer if the 
canine
public safety animal
 exhibits any abnormal behavior.
(6)
In addition to any other penalty, a person convicted of a violation of this section is liable 
for restitution to the owning or employing 
law enforcement agency
public safety 
organization
 or individual owner of the 
police service canine
public safety animal
 for 
the replacement, training, and veterinary costs incurred as a result of the violation of this 
section.
Section 2. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
Section 3. 
Coordinating S.B. 77 with H.B. 21.
If S.B. 77, Public Safety Animal Amendments, and H.B. 21, Criminal Code 
Recodification and Cross References, both pass and become law, the Legislature intends that, 
on May 7, 2025:
(1) Section 
76-13-209
 (renumbered from Section 76-9-306) in H.B. 21 and Section 
76-9-306
 in S.B. 77 be amended to read:
"
76-13-209.
Endangering, injuring, or killing a public safety animal
.
(1) 
(a) 
As used in this section:
(a) "Handler" means a law enforcement officer who is specially trained, and uses a police 
service canine during the course of the performance of his law enforcement duties.
(b) "Police service canine" means any dog used by a law enforcement agency, which is 
specially trained for law enforcement work, or any animal contracted to assist a law 
enforcement agency in the performance of law enforcement duties.
(i) "Handler" means an individual who uses a public safety animal to assist with duties of a 
public safety organization.
(ii) "Public safety animal" means an animal that a public safety organization:
(A) owns or uses under contract; and
(B) uses, or allows another public safety organization to use, to assist with duties of a 
public safety organization.
(iii) "Public safety organization" means a government entity that provides a law 
enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, military, or other public safety service.
(b) Terms defined in Sections 
76-1-101.5
, 
76-13-101
, and 
76-13-201
 apply to this section.
(2) 
It is a second degree felony for a person to intentionally or knowingly cause
An actor 
commits endangering, injuring, or killing a public safety animal if the actor intentionally or 
knowingly:
(a) causes the
 death 
to
of
 a 
police service canine.
public safety animal;
(b) causes bodily injury to a public safety animal;
(c) engages in conduct likely to cause bodily injury or death to a public safety animal; or
(d) lays out, places, or administers any poison, trap, substance, or object that is likely to 
produce bodily injury or death to a public safety animal.
(3) (a) A violation of Subsection 
(2)
(a) is a second degree felony.
(b) A violation of Subsection 
(2)(b)
, (c), or (d) is a third degree felony.
(3) It is a third degree felony for a person to intentionally or knowingly:
(a) cause bodily injury to a police service canine;
(b) engage in conduct likely to cause bodily injury or death to a police service canine; or
(c) lay out, place, or administer any poison, trap, substance, or object which is likely to 
produce bodily injury or death to a police service canine.
(4) It is a class A misdemeanor for a person to intentionally or knowingly:
(a) taunt, torment, strike, or otherwise assault a police service canine;
(b) throw any object or substance at, or in the path of, a police service canine;
(c) interfere with or obstruct a police service canine, or attempt to, or interfere with the 
handler of the canine in a manner that inhibits, restricts, or deprives the handler of control of 
the canine;
(d) release a police service canine from its area of control, such as a vehicle, kennel, or 
pen, or trespass in that area; or
(e) place any food, object, or substance into a police service canine's area of control 
without the permission of the handler.
(5)
(4)(a) 
A 
police service canine
public safety animal
 is exempt from quarantine or 
other animal control ordinances if 
it
the public safety animal
 bites 
any person
an individual
while under proper 
police 
supervision 
by a public safety organization 
or 
during 
routine 
veterinary care. 
(b) 
The 
law enforcement agency
public safety organization
 and the 
canine's
public safety 
animal's
 handler shall make the 
canine
public safety animal
 available for examination at 
any
a
 reasonable time and shall notify the local health officer if the 
canine
public safety animal
exhibits any abnormal behavior.
(6)
(5)
 In addition to any other penalty, 
a person
an actor
 convicted of a violation of this 
section is liable for restitution to the owning or employing 
law enforcement agency
public 
safety organization
 or individual owner of the 
police service canine
public safety animal
 for 
the replacement, training, and veterinary costs incurred as a result of the violation of this 
section.
"; and
(2) Section 
76-13-210
, enacted in H.B. 21, be amended to read:
"
76-13-210.
Interference with a public safety animal
.
(1)(a) As used in this section:
(i) "Handler" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
76-13-209
.
(ii) "Public safety animal" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
76-13-209
.
(iii) "Public safety organization" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
76-13-209
.
(b) Terms defined in Sections 
76-1-101.5
, 
76-13-101
, and 
76-13-201
 apply to this section.
(2) An actor commits interference with a public safety animal if the actor intentionally or 
knowingly:
(a) taunts, torments, strikes, or otherwise assaults a public safety animal;
(b) throws an object or substance at, or in the path of, a public safety animal;
(c) interferes with or obstructs a public safety animal, or attempts to, or interferes with the 
handler of the public safety animal in a manner that inhibits, restricts, or deprives the handler 
of control of the public safety animal;
(d) releases a public safety animal from the public safety animal's area of control, including 
a vehicle, kennel, or pen, or trespasses in that area; or
(e) places any food, object, or substance into a public safety animal's area of control without 
the permission of the handler.
(3) A violation of Subsection (2) is a class A misdemeanor.
(4) In addition to any other penalty, an actor convicted of a violation of this section is liable 
for restitution to the owning or employing public safety organization or individual owner of 
the public safety animal for the replacement, training, and veterinary costs incurred as a result 
of the violation of this section.".
3-12-25 1:49 PM