New restrictions proposed for reporting animal abuse

A bill that would tighten requirements for animal abuse reporting was discussed in an Agriculture Committee hearing Jan. 31.

LB915, introduced by O’Neill Sen. Tyson Larson, would shorten the window of time people could report animal abuse or cruelty to 12 hours. Larson said he wrote the bill to address the issue of animal activists who hold documentation of abuse for days before reporting it to authorities.

“Animal activist groups routinely use images of abused animals in their fundraising materials,” Larson said. “Members of these groups are responsible for reporting these instances instead of using them for their own gain.”

A person submitting a report of animal abuse would be required to include all documentation including video, photographs or audio that is evidence of the alleged abuse. Failing to report the abuse would be a Class IV felony.

A second provision of the bill would create a crime of obtaining employment at an animal facility with the intent to disrupt the normal operations of the facility. Violations would be a Class IV felony.

Alan Peterson, representing ACLU Nebraska, testified in opposition, saying the vague wording of LB915 could lead to problems in the future.

“For someone to be charged with a major felony because they had an ‘intent to disrupt’ – without any specific definitions – is pretty dangerous,” Peterson said.

Jack Cheloha, representing the city of Omaha, testified in a neutral capacity. He said classifying the offenses as felonies would have significant consequences for law enforcement.

“It raises our protocols in terms of investigation,” Cheloha said. “It could lead to an increase in reports due to misunderstandings.”

No one testified in support of the bill and the committee took no immediate action.