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HB0076 • 2026

Animal Cruelty and Abuse

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 2, relative to criminal offenses committed against animals.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Stevens, Reeves
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 428
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific information regarding the updates to other parts of Tennessee’s animal cruelty laws or details on enforcement by local governments.

Animal Cruelty and Abuse Prevention Act

This law makes abandoning an animal illegal and states that leaving an animal at a shelter or vet without making care arrangements is not allowed as a defense in court.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes it against the law to abandon an animal under your care.
  • Says you can't use leaving an animal near a shelter, vet clinic, or other place of safety as a way to avoid getting in trouble if you didn't make sure someone would take care of the animal.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who have animals under their care

Terms To Know

Abandonment
Leaving an animal without taking proper care of it.
Reasonable arrangements
Making sure someone will take care of the animal when you leave it somewhere.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if a person makes reasonable arrangements but something goes wrong.
  • It is unclear how local governments will enforce this new rule.
  • There are no details on penalties for breaking this law.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 428

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 428

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 2

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  17. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  20. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  22. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  23. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/7/2025

  24. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  25. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  26. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/2/2025

  27. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  28. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  29. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  30. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  31. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  32. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025

  33. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  34. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  35. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  36. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  37. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  38. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  39. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/19/2025

  40. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  41. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  42. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  44. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  45. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  46. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  47. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  48. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  49. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  50. 2025-01-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that a person commits the offense of cruelty to animals who intentionally or knowingly commits certain acts, one of which is intentional
ly or knowingly abandoning unreasonably an animal in the person's custody. This bill broadens this provision by, instead, simply prohibiting abandonment, regardless of its reasonability. This bill also adds that it is not a defense to prosecution under
t
his provision that the person abandoned the animal at or near an animal shelter, veterinary clinic, or other place of shelter if the person did not make reasonable arrangements for the care of the animal.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 433
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 76
By Stevens

HB0076
000407
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 14, Part 2, relative to criminal offenses
committed against animals.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-202(a)(3), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(3) Abandons an animal in the person's custody. It is not a defense to
prosecution under this subdivision (a)(3) that the person abandoned the animal at or
near an animal shelter, veterinary clinic, or other place of shelter if the person did not
make reasonable arrangements for the care of the animal;
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.