LARGE CARNIVORE REGULATION - S.B. 782 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 782 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Bill Bullard, Jr.
Committee: Farming, Agribusiness and Food Systems
CONTENT
The bill would create the "Large Carnivore Act" to prohibit a person from possessing a large carnivore unless the person possessed the animal when the bill took effect and obtained a permit for the animal; require the payment of an annual permit fee; require an owner to have an identification number placed on the animal; prohibit a large carnivore from being tethered outside on a leash or chain or being allowed to run at-large, and require a large carnivore to be kept in a facility, as described in the bill, to prevent escape and injury; and permit an owner to keep an animal at his or her residence, under certain conditions, including supervision by a person who was at least 21 years of age.
The bill would require an owner to post signs on the property where a large carnivore was being kept; specify the physical conditions under which a large carnivore would have to be housed; and, permit a law enforcement authority to inspect a facility where a large carnivore was kept.
The bill also would establish requirements for the transportation of a large carnivore; require the reporting of the potential exposure to rabies by a large carnivore as the result of a bite, scratch or abrasion, and require the large carnivore to be euthanized under certain circumstances; establish misdemeanor penalties for violations of the bill, and permit the seizure of a large carnivore under certain circumstances; permit a local unit to adopt an ordinance that was more restrictive than the bill; and exempt certain animal protection shelters, zoological parks, and veterinarians from the bill's provisions.
The bill would define "large carnivore" as any of the following cats of the Felidae family: a lion, a leopard (including a snow leopard or clouded leopard), a jaguar, a tiger, a cougar, or a cheetah; or a bear of a species that is native or nonnative to this State, whether wild or captive bred.
- Legislative Analyst: N. Nagata
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would result in an indeterminate, but probably negligible increase in State Department of Agriculture administrative costs. Local units of government that do not have a permitting program currently, or that do not have an ordinance banning ownership of large carnivores, would experience indeterminate increases in both administrative and enforcement costs. The bill would allow affected local governments to assess permit fees to generate revenue sufficient to cover these costs. As the bill would bar ownership of large carnivores that were not already in the possession of an individual prior to the effective date of the bill, the increase in local government costs and revenues would be temporary.
Date Completed: 11-17-99 - Fiscal Analyst: P. Graham
floor\sb782 (S-2) - Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.