HB 1456 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, providing for Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number.

PRINTER'S NO.   1709

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1456
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MADDEN, GIRAL, SANCHEZ, KHAN,
        PROBST, STEELE, HILL-EVANS, McNEILL, HOHENSTEIN, WAXMAN,
        CONKLIN, HOWARD AND CERRATO, MAY 13, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
        MAY 13, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and
 3      related offenses, providing for Statewide toll-free animal
 4      abuse reporting telephone number.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.    Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 8   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 9   § 5560.1.   Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
10               number.
11      (a)   Establishment.--The Pennsylvania State Police shall
12   establish a Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
13   number for use by a person to report cases of suspected animal
14   abuse or neglect under this subchapter.
15      (b)   Reporting process.--The Pennsylvania State Police shall
16   ensure that the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting
17   telephone number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
18   for the reporting of cases of suspected animal abuse or neglect.
 1   The Pennsylvania State Police shall maintain each reported case
 2   of suspected animal abuse or neglect to the Statewide toll-free
 3   animal abuse reporting telephone number in a database, including
 4   contact information for the reporter and the location of the
 5   suspected animal abuse or neglect. The Pennsylvania State Police
 6   shall refer each report for investigation to the appropriate law
 7   enforcement officer or provide a copy of each report to the
 8   humane society police officer with jurisdiction. If there is
 9   insufficient information provided in a report to establish the
10   location of the suspected animal abuse or neglect, the
11   Pennsylvania State Police shall maintain the report in the
12   database, but the Pennsylvania State Police may not refer the
13   report for investigation under this subsection.
14      (c)   Database accessibility.--An appropriate law enforcement
15   officer or a humane society police officer with jurisdiction may
16   access the information in the database under subsection (b) only
17   to investigate a report of a case of suspected animal abuse or
18   neglect. The Pennsylvania State Police shall annually compile
19   information on the number, general location and type of reports
20   to the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone
21   number and submit the information to the chairperson and
22   minority chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate
23   and chairperson and minority chairperson of the Judiciary
24   Committee of the House of Representatives no later than June 30,
25   2026, and each year thereafter.
26      (d)   Telephone number accessibility.--The Pennsylvania State
27   Police and the Department of Agriculture shall make the
28   Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number
29   available on their publicly accessible Internet websites.
30      (e)   Assessment.--In addition to any other penalties that may

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1   be imposed for a violation of this subchapter, a person
2   convicted of an offense under this subchapter shall, upon
3   conviction, be sentenced to pay an additional fine of not less
4   than $25. Fines collected under this subchapter shall be
5   transmitted to the Pennsylvania State Police for maintenance of
6   the Statewide toll-free animal abuse reporting telephone number.
7      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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