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HB 417OHIOSession 136State Billin committee
High Impact

Ohio HB 417 prohibits companion animal corpse abuse, restricts animal ownership for offenders, and mandates fines

Original title: Regards animal abuse offenses and penalties

Last action · June 10, 2026: Reported - Substitute (Public Safety)Sponsors: Phil Plummer and 3 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Ohio HB 417 prohibits the abuse of corpses, bans animal abuse offenders from owning companion animals under specific circumstances, and establishes mandatory fines for animal abuse and police dog or horse assault offenses.

Why it matters

Changes criminal penalties and ownership restrictions for individuals convicted of animal abuse offenses, establishes public registries for dangerous dogs and animal abusers, and requires spaying or neutering of dogs prior to adoption by pounds or humane societies.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Animal abuse offenders

Convicted animal abuse offenders face mandatory ownership bans on companion animals, mandatory fines, and inclusion on county 'Do Not Adopt' registries.

Directly affected

County commissioners

Boards of county commissioners are authorized to establish and maintain publicly available 'Do Not Adopt' registries.

Directly affected

Municipal and county dog pounds and humane societies

Dog pounds and humane societies must ensure that dogs are spayed or neutered prior to adoption or transfer of ownership.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if someone is convicted of a misdemeanor animal abuse offense?
The person is prohibited from knowingly owning, possessing, having custody of, or residing in a residence with any for a period of two years.
Who maintains the statewide dangerous dog registry under this bill?
The Director of Agriculture establishes and maintains the statewide dangerous and vicious dog registry on the Department of Agriculture's web site.
Are dog pounds and humane societies required to alter dogs before adoption?
Yes, prior to adopting out or transferring ownership of a dog, a municipal or county dog pound or a humane society must ensure that the dog has been spayed or neutered.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

3 actions
  1. Jun 10, 2026HouseCommittee
    Reported - Substitute (Public Safety)
  2. Sep 15, 2025HouseCommittee
    Referred to Public Safety
  3. Aug 19, 2025HouseIntroduced
    Introduced

Version history & redline

2 versions on file
Comparing As Introduced → As Reported by the House Public Safety Committee
removed addedOfficial text
removed: hb417_00_IN As Introduced 136th General Assembly Regular Session H. B. No. 417 2025-2026 Representatives Plummer, Young To amend sections 109.803, 955.54, 955.99, 959.131, 959.99, 2921.321, and 2929.18 and to enact sections 955.55, 955.56, and 955.57 of the Revised Code to prohibit the abuse of a companion animal corpse, to prohibit an animal abuse offender from owning a dog in certain circumstances, and to establish mandatory fines for violations of an animal abuse offense. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: Section 1. That sections 109.803, 955.54, 955.99, 959.131, 959.99, 2921.321, and 2929.18 be amended and sections 955.55, 955.56, and 955.57 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: Sec. 109.803. (A)(1) Subject to divisions (A)(2) and (B) of this section, every appointing authority shall require each of its appointed peace officers and troopers to complete twenty-four hours of continuing professional training each calendar year. Twenty-four hours is intended to be a minimum requirement, and appointing authorities are encouraged to exceed the twenty-four hour minimum. A minimum of twenty-four hours of continuing professional training shall be reimbursed each calendar year and a maximum of forty hours of continuing professional training may be reimbursed each calendar year. At least two hours of such continuing professional training shall be dedicated to the education of laws governing animal welfare and cruelty under Chapter 959. of the Revised Code. (2) An appointing authority may submit a written request to the peace officer training commission that requests for a calendar year because of emergency circumstances an extension of the time within which one or more of its appointed peace officers or troopers must complete the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission, as described in division (A)(1) of this section. A request made under this division shall set forth the 70,894 more removed characters - read the previous versionadded: hb417_01_RH As Reported by the House Public Safety Committee 136th General Assembly Regular Session Sub. H. B. No. 417 2025-2026 Representatives Plummer, Young Cosponsors: Representatives Abrams, Willis To amend sections 109.79, 955.54, 955.99, 959.131, 959.99, 2921.321, and 2929.18 and to enact sections 955.55, 955.56, and 955.57 of the Revised Code to prohibit the abuse of a companion animal corpse, to prohibit an animal abuse offender from owning a companion animal in certain circumstances, and to establish mandatory fines for violations of an animal abuse offense. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: Section 1. That sections 109.79, 955.54, 955.99, 959.131, 959.99, 2921.321, and 2929.18 be amended and sections 955.55, 955.56, and 955.57 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: Sec. 109.79. (A) The Ohio peace officer training commission shall establish and conduct a training school for law enforcement officers of any political subdivision of the state or of the state public defender's office. The school shall be known as the Ohio peace officer training academy. No bailiff or deputy bailiff of a court of record of this state and no criminal investigator employed by the state public defender shall be permitted to attend the academy for training unless the employing court of the bailiff or deputy bailiff or the state public defender, whichever is applicable, has authorized the bailiff, deputy bailiff, or investigator to attend the academy. The Ohio peace officer training commission shall develop the training program, which shall include courses in both the civil and criminal functions of law enforcement officers, a course in crisis intervention with six or more hours of training, training in the handling of missing children and child abuse and neglect cases, and training on companion animal encounters and companion animal behavior, and at least two hours of training on the laws governing animal welfare and cruelty under 73,347 more added characters - read this version955.54, 955.99, 959.131, 959.99, 2921.321, and 2929.18 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed. Section 3. Section 959.99 of the Revised Code is presented […]
Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

Voting Record

Motion succeededHouse6/10/2026Ohio LegislatureOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable Passage

Total

13

Yes
13
No
0
Present
0
Not voting
0
Abstain
0
Full roll-call analysis →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Phil PlummerHouse · District 39RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Tom YoungHouse · District 37RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Cindy AbramsHouse · District 29RepublicanCosponsor
Bernard WillisHouse · District 74RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Establishment of Animal Abuser and Dangerous Dog Registries

The bill creates new administrative mechanisms including county-level 'Do Not Adopt' registries and a statewide dangerous dog registry managed by the Department of Agriculture.

Department of Agriculture

Connected Entities

Ohio peace officer training commission, Phil Plummer, Tom Young and 3 more
OrganizationOhio peace officer training commission“Established training school for law enforcement officers”Map →
PersonPhil Plummer“Republican Representative, District 39”Map →
PersonTom Young“Republican Representative, District 37”Map →
PersonBernard Willis“Republican Representative, District 74, cosponsor”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Agriculture“Maintains statewide dangerous and vicious dog registry”Map →
PersonCindy Abrams“Republican Representative, District 29, cosponsor”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legislature.ohio.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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