Florida Senate - 2020                             CS for SB 1044
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senators Pizzo, Stewart,
       Gruters, Perry, Harrell, Torres, Diaz, Albritton, Farmer,
       Flores, Powell, Cruz, Book, Hooper, Mayfield, Taddeo, Rodriguez,
       and Montford
       
       
       590-03111-20                                          20201044c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to animal cruelty; providing a short
    3         title; creating s. 828.124, F.S.; defining the term
    4         “treatment provider”; providing immunity from criminal
    5         and civil liability for certain persons and entities
    6         who report animal cruelty; prohibiting the alteration
    7         or destruction of certain records; providing criminal
    8         penalties; providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. This act may be cited as “Allie’s Law.”
   13         Section 2. Section 828.124, Florida Statutes, is created to
   14  read:
   15         828.124 Reporting animal cruelty; medical records.—
   16         (1) As used in this section, the term “treatment provider”
   17  includes any animal care facility, animal hospital, private
   18  veterinary practice, animal shelter, veterinary school,
   19  specialized veterinary hospital or any place dogs or cats are
   20  seen for any kind of treatment.
   21         (2) A treatment provider or an employee or volunteer of a
   22  treatment provider who in the normal course of care of a dog or
   23  cat knows or has reason to suspect animal cruelty as prohibited
   24  in s. 828.12(1) shall be held harmless from either criminal or
   25  civil liability for any decisions made in good faith to report
   26  suspected cruelty to a local law enforcement agency or animal
   27  control agency or to cooperate with any related investigation of
   28  cruelty to animals.
   29         (3) An employee or volunteer of a treatment provider who
   30  knowingly alters or destroys an existing medical record for the
   31  purpose of concealing or attempting to conceal cruelty to a dog
   32  or cat commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as
   33  provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   34         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.