PRINTER'S NO. 1012
No. 912 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY L. I. COHEN, STEELMAN, BARD, BEBKO-JONES, BISHOP,
BUTKOVITZ, BUXTON, CAPPABIANCA, CAWLEY, CORNELL, CURRY,
DALEY, DRUCE, FREEMAN, JAMES, JOSEPHS, KIRKLAND, LaGROTTA,
MANN, MARKOSEK, MELIO, MICHLOVIC, OLIVER, PRESTON, RAMOS,
ROBINSON, ROONEY, RUBLEY, SCRIMENTI, TRELLO, WILLIAMS AND
YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 17, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 17, 1999
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for cruelty to
3 animals.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 5511(q) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
7 Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
8 adding a subsection to read:
9 § 5511. Cruelty to animals.
10 * * *
11 (k.1) Confining, importing, breeding and selling pigeons for
12 pigeon shoots.--A person commits a summary offense if he
13 confines, breeds, imports, sells or offers for sale a pigeon for
14 use at a pigeon shoot.
15 * * *
16 (q) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
1 words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
2 subsection:
3 "Animal fighting." Fighting or baiting any bull, bear, dog,
4 cock or other creature.
5 "Audibly impaired." The inability to hear air conduction
6 thresholds at an average of 40 decibels or greater in the better
7 ear.
8 "Blind." Having a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the
9 better eye with correction or having a limitation of the field
10 of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field
11 subtends an angular distance not greater than 20 degrees.
12 "Deaf." Totally impaired hearing or hearing with or without
13 amplification which is so seriously impaired that the primary
14 means of receiving spoken language is through other sensory
15 input, including, but not limited to, lip reading, sign
16 language, finger spelling or reading.
17 "Domestic animal." Any dog, cat, equine animal, bovine
18 animal, sheep, goat or porcine animal.
19 "Domestic fowl." Any avis raised for food, hobby or sport.
20 "Normal agricultural operation." Normal activities,
21 practices and procedures that farmers adopt, use or engage in
22 year after year in the production and preparation for market of
23 poultry, livestock and their products in the production and
24 harvesting of agricultural, agronomic, horticultural,
25 silvicultural and aquicultural crops and commodities.
26 "Physically limited." Having limited ambulation, including,
27 but not limited to, a temporary or permanent impairment or
28 condition that causes an individual to use a wheelchair or walk
29 with difficulty or insecurity, affects sight or hearing to the
30 extent that an individual is insecure or exposed to danger,
19990H0912B1012 - 2 -
1 causes faulty coordination or reduces mobility, flexibility,
2 coordination or perceptiveness.
3 "Pigeon shoot." An event or contest taking place in this
4 Commonwealth involving the release of live pigeons as targets.
5 "Zoo animal." Any member of the class of mammalia, aves,
6 amphibia or reptilia which is kept in a confined area by a
7 public body or private individual for purposes of observation by
8 the general public.
9 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
L15L18BIL/19990H0912B1012 - 3 -