IowaIowa law defines animal torture and sets penalties
Iowa law treats specified intentional, willful, and malicious harm to companion animals as animal torture, with a class D felony for subsection 1A.
What it does
Iowa law defines animal torture to include intentionally and maliciously causing severe harm or death to a companion animal, or causing, directing, or paying someone else to do so.
The law makes animal torture under subsection 1A a class D felony. Torture under subsection 1 is an aggravated misdemeanor.
Argument forFelony penalties could deter people from intentionally and maliciously causing severe harm or death to companion animals, or helping someone else do so.
Argument againstFelony penalties may be severe for people convicted under subsection 1A, including those who direct or provide something valuable for another person to act.
More detail
The law defines animal torture to include intentionally, willfully, and maliciously causing specified severe harm to a companion animal, or causing, directing, or paying someone else to do so. The listed acts include mutilating, burning, poisoning, drowning, or starving a companion animal, or causing it intensive or prolonged pain or death. The person must act intentionally, willfully, and maliciously.
Animal torture under subsection 1A is a class D felony. These penalties apply to people who commit animal torture under the specified subsections. Animal torture under subsection 1 is an aggravated misdemeanor.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 13Fiscal note.Latest
- May 11Signed by Governor Kim Reynolds.Became Law
- May 11Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor.To Governor
- May 1Explanation of vote.
- Apr 30Message from House.
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 30Immediate message.
- Apr 30Passed House, yeas 84, nays 0.Major
- Apr 30House concurred in Senate amendment H-8435.
- Apr 30Fiscal note.
- Apr 29Senate amendment H-8435 filed.Minor
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 29Message from Senate.
- Apr 29Immediate message.
- Apr 29Passed Senate, yeas 46, nays 0.Passed 2nd Chamber
- Apr 29Amendment S-5232 filed, adopted.Major
- Apr 29Substituted for SF 2099.
- Mar 19Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
- Mar 9Read first time, attached to SF 2099.Minor
- Mar 9Message from House.
- Mar 5Immediate message.
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 5Passed House, yeas 85, nays 0.Passed 1st Chamber
- Mar 4Fiscal note.
- Feb 9Introduced, placed on calendar.Introduced
Criminal JusticePublic Safety