DOG BITE RESPONSIBILITIES S.B. 346 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
[Please see the PDF version of this analysis, if available, to view this image.]
Senate Bill 346 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Gerald Van Woerkom
Committee: Judiciary
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Penal Code to require a person 18 years of age or older to do all of the following if he or she were responsible for controlling the actions of a dog or wolf-dog cross and knew or had reason to know that the animal had bitten any individual:
-- Give his or her name and address and, if the person did not own the animal, the name and address of the owner, to the individual who was bitten.
-- Provide the individual with information, if known by the person, as to whether the dog or wolf-dog cross was current on all legally required vaccinations.
-- Remain on the scene until those requirements were fulfilled.
A violation of the bill would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days' imprisonment, a maximum fine of $500, or both.
The bill would not apply if an individual were bitten by a police dog (a dog used by a State or local law enforcement agency that is trained for law enforcement work and subject to the control of a dog handler).
The bill would take effect on April 1, 2008.
"Dog" and "wolf-dog cross" would mean those terms as defined in the Wolf-Dog Cross Act. (Under that Act, "dog" means an animal of the species Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris. "Wolf-dog cross" means mean a canid resulting from the breeding of any of the following: a wolf with a dog; a wolf-dog cross with a wolf; a wolf-dog cross with a dog; or a wolf-dog cross with a wolf-dog cross.)
Proposed MCL 750.66 Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local government. There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of leaving the scene of a dog bite incident without fulfilling the requirements of the bill. Local governments would incur the costs of misdemeanor probation and incarceration in local facilities, which vary by county. Additional penal fine revenue would benefit public libraries.
Date Completed: 12-5-07 Fiscal Analyst: Lindsay Hollander
floor\sb346 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.
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. sb346/0708