Quorum Report Daily Buzz Quorum Report Daily Buzz Login into the Quorum Report Subscribe toQuorum Report
Quorum Report Daily Buzz

May 24, 2017      4:22 PM

Despite effort to derail it, bill raising penalty for animal cruelty passes Texas House

Rep. Tinderholt had inserted an abortion-inspired amendment but Republicans led the charge to refocus the bill on punishing perpetrators of “horrific crimes”

Texas House members on Wednesday stripped an abortion-inspired amendment by Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, that had been added the day before to a bill increasing penalties for animal cruelty.

The bill, Senate Bill 762 sponsored by Rep. Joe Moody, ups the penalty for torturing, killing or seriously harming pets from a state jail felony to a third-degree felony. But Tinderholt – upset that these penalties were tougher than ones passed in the chamber for doctors who perform “partial-birth” or “dismemberment” abortions – proposed an amendment keeping the current state jail felony penalty intact.

Moody described Tinderholt’s amendment as essentially removing the purpose of the bill.

By Eleanor Dearman

Click here to visit Austin Flag