Pennsylvania HB 1456: An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, providing for Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1709
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1456
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MADDEN, GIRAL, SANCHEZ, KHAN,
PROBST, STEELE, HILL-EVANS, McNEILL, HOHENSTEIN, WAXMAN,
CONKLIN, HOWARD AND CERRATO, MAY 13, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
MAY 13, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and
related offenses, providing for Statewide toll-free animal
abuse reporting telephone number.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 5560.1. Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
number.
(a) Establishment.--The Pennsylvania State Police shall
establish a Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
number for use by a person to report cases of suspected animal
abuse or neglect under this subchapter.
(b) Reporting process.--The Pennsylvania State Police shall
ensure that the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting
telephone number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
for the reporting of cases of suspected animal abuse or neglect.
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The Pennsylvania State Police shall maintain each reported case
of suspected animal abuse or neglect to the Statewide toll-free
animal abuse reporting telephone number in a database, including
contact information for the reporter and the location of the
suspected animal abuse or neglect. The Pennsylvania State Police
shall refer each report for investigation to the appropriate law
enforcement officer or provide a copy of each report to the
humane society police officer with jurisdiction. If there is
insufficient information provided in a report to establish the
location of the suspected animal abuse or neglect, the
Pennsylvania State Police shall maintain the report in the
database, but the Pennsylvania State Police may not refer the
report for investigation under this subsection.
(c) Database accessibility.--An appropriate law enforcement
officer or a humane society police officer with jurisdiction may
access the information in the database under subsection (b) only
to investigate a report of a case of suspected animal abuse or
neglect. The Pennsylvania State Police shall annually compile
information on the number, general location and type of reports
to the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
number and submit the information to the chairperson and
minority chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate
and chairperson and minority chairperson of the Judiciary
Committee of the House of Representatives no later than June 30,
2026, and each year thereafter.
(d) Telephone number accessibility.--The Pennsylvania State
Police and the Department of Agriculture shall make the
Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number
available on their publicly accessible Internet websites.
(e) Assessment.--In addition to any other penalties that may
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be imposed for a violation of this subchapter, a person
convicted of an offense under this subchapter shall, upon
conviction, be sentenced to pay an additional fine of not less
than $25. Fines collected under this subchapter shall be
transmitted to the Pennsylvania State Police for maintenance of
the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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