Texas- OPPOSE HB 2806

IS SCHEDULED FOR HEARING MONDAY 04/28/25 IN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE –

If passed, HB 2806 could charge a dog owner with a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to

180 days in JAIL and a $2000 fine

your playful puppy pushes someone, scratches someone, or nips someone even in play.

This bill criminalizes even the most trivial touching by a dog which punishes the owner for something very slight.

Bodily injury as defined in HB 2806 is any injury that is not deemed serious, and can include a nip or scratch

that does not even need a Bandaid, and not even one stitch.

This means every dog owner is Texas can be subject to jail for the most miniscule thing their dog did,

and that includes a playful puppy.

ALSO, this bill would provide that people who file sworn statements about a dog being dangerous are done in secret.

This clearly does not provide the accused owner the ability to confront the accuser and is unconstitutional because

it does away with due process for crimes against owners for what a dog does, even a tiny nip.

Current law already allows for prosecution if a dog causes serious bodily injury and was out with criminal negligence.

Please take action –

CALL MEMBERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE

AND POST PUBLIC COMMENT AS FOLLOWS –

FILL IN INFO AND SUBMIT.

THANKS,

Martin Kralik

MY COMMENTS –

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEMBERS,

CURRENT LAW ALREADY ALLOWS FOR PROSECUTION OF A DOG OWNER

IF A DOG WAS OUT WITH CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE AND CAUSES SERIOUS INJURY.

HB 2806 CRIMINALIZES DOG OWNERS IF ANY INJURY NO MATTER HOW SLIGHT AND UNINTENTIONAL

AND WILL OVERBURDEN AN ALREADY OVERBURDENED LEGAL SYSTEM AND ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY

FOR EVEN THE SLIGHTEST THING A DOG MIGHT DO – PLAYFULLY NIP, SCRATCH, AND OR BUMP/PUSH SOMEONE.

I OPPOSE HB 2806.