An Act relative to further increasing the fines for cruelty to animals, and establishing a fund dedicated to improvements for local animal shelters
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 7/21/2025 | House | Read second and ordered to a third reading |
| 7/21/2025 | House | Rules suspended |
| 7/21/2025 | House | Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting |
| 7/10/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling |
| 6/3/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-1 |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government |
No additional cosponsors.
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J10 | Favorable | 1 entries |
| H52 | Place in OD | — |
Section 77 of Chapter 272 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the figure “$5,000” and inserting in place thereof the figure “$5,500”; Section 77 is further amended by striking the figure “$10,000” and inserting in place thereof the figure “$11,000”
No more than $500 from a single fine incurred for a first offense, and no more than $1,000 from a single fine incurred for subsequent offenses, shall be designated towards a special account in the municipality where the violation occurred. The monies shall be used solely for funding improvements to the local municipality’s animal shelter. Funds designated towards municipalities without an animal shelter within their jurisdiction will be utilized at the discretion of the local municipality, providing it benefits local groups, nonprofit organizations, or public entities dedicated to the humane treatment of animals and/or the promotion of the adoption of shelter animals.
SECTION 1. Section 77 of Chapter 272 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the figure “$5,000” and inserting in place thereof the figure “$5,500”; Section 77 is further amended by striking the figure “$10,000” and inserting in place thereof the figure “$11,000” SECTION 2. No more than $500 from a single fine incurred for a first offense, and no more than $1,000 from a single fine incurred for subsequent offenses, shall be designated towards a special account in the municipality where the violation occurred. The monies shall be used solely for funding improvements to the local municipality’s animal shelter. Funds designated towards municipalities without an animal shelter within their jurisdiction will be utilized at the discretion of the local municipality, providing it benefits local groups, nonprofit organizations, or public entities dedicated to the humane treatment of animals and/or the promotion of the adoption of shelter animals.