Saving Animals From Hot Cars is Bill's Aim

The inside of an enclosed vehicle on a hot day can quickly become a coffin for a pet trapped inside.

As it stands right now, emergency workers and good Samaritans who attempt to rescue creatures trapped without proper ventilation face potential complications related to civil and criminal liability. A new bill introduced by state Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, on Monday aims to change that.

The Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety Act would make it legal for “authorized individuals” to use reasonable force to remove an animal from a vehicle after effort has been made to find a pet’s owner. People authorized to enter a vehicle under the act include police and animal control officers, firefighters, first responders and anyone who has contacted local law enforcement and been instructed to carry out a rescue.

Under the act, pet owners who leave animals in vehicles without adequate ventilation would be committing a criminal offense, a first-degree misdemeanor. The bill does include exemptions for the transport of agricultural animals.

Hukill introduced the bill on Monday. It does not have a companion bill in the House as of yet. Should the bill receive approval, the new law would go into effect on July 1, 2016.

Read the full text here.

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