S540 Authorizes courts to include animals in domestic violence restraining orders
January 17, 2010
S540 authorizes a court to issue an order directing the care, custody, or control of any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by either party or a minor residing in the household. Animals are not directly addressed by current domestic violence law. Â
The purpose of the bill is to provide specific statutory authorization for courts to issue orders covering animals in situations where a person abuses or threatens to abuse an animal as part of a domestic dispute.Â
The bill is modeled on a recently enacted Maine law.
Primary Sponsor: Thomas H. Kean, Jr.
Primary Sponsor: Jeff Van Drew
January 12, 2010 Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
Pending New Jersey legislation regarding animals or animal welfare is listed in this section by bill number. Unless otherwise noted, the AWFNJ does not specifically endorse or support these proposed bills. Bills are posted for information purposes only and we welcome your input on each of them.