An Act To Amend Animal Welfare Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §3952, sub-§1, ¶B, as corrected by RR 2009, c. 1, §9, is amended to read:
B. Order the dog to be euthanized if it has killed, maimed or inflicted serious bodily injury upon a person or , has a history of a prior assault or has a prior finding of being a dangerous dog.
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §3952, sub-§8, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 170, §4, is amended to read:
A. It is necessary to obtain veterinary care for the dog or to comply with orders of the court or the court approves the specific movement of the dog as requested by a party to an action under this section; and
Sec. 3. 16 MRSA §614, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 155, Pt. A, §5, is further amended to read:
1. Limitation on dissemination of intelligence and investigative information. Reports or records that contain intelligence and investigative information and that are prepared by, prepared at the direction of or kept in the custody of a local, county or district criminal justice agency; the Bureau of State Police; the Department of the Attorney General; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the Office of State Fire Marshal; the Department of Corrections; the criminal law enforcement units of the Department of Marine Resources or the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; or the Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Protection when the reports or records pertain to arson ; or the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources when the reports or records pertain to animal cruelty are confidential and may not be disseminated if there is a reasonable possibility that public release or inspection of the reports or records would:
A. Interfere with law enforcement proceedings;
B. Result in public dissemination of prejudicial information concerning an accused person or concerning the prosecution's evidence that will interfere with the ability of a court to impanel an impartial jury;
C. Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
D. Disclose the identity of a confidential source;
E. Disclose confidential information furnished only by the confidential source;
F. Disclose trade secrets or other confidential commercial or financial information designated as such by the owner or source of the information or by the Department of the Attorney General;
G. Disclose investigative techniques and procedures or security plans and procedures not generally known by the general public;
H. Endanger the life or physical safety of any individual, including law enforcement personnel;
I. Disclose conduct or statements made or documents submitted by any person in the course of any mediation or arbitration conducted under the auspices of the Department of the Attorney General;
J. Disclose information designated confidential by some other statute; or
K. Identify the source of complaints made to the Department of the Attorney General involving violations of consumer or antitrust laws.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the animal welfare laws to provide greater protection for victims of dangerous dogs. It also adds reports and records of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources pertaining to animal cruelty to the list of reports and records that contain intelligence and investigative information that are confidential.