Bills We Support
Cross-Reporting of Abuse: HB 2292 (Rep. Holly Jones) & SB 899 (Sen. Tracy McCreery)
These bills strengthen Missouri’s abuse and neglect reporting laws by requiring certain professionals to report companion animal abuse alongside existing child and elder abuse reporting duties. By improving coordination between animal welfare, human services, and law enforcement, the bills help identify dangerous situations earlier and prevent violence from escalating.
HB 2292 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/4920H.02I.pdf
SB 899 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB899.pdf
Animal Abuse Statute Revisions: SB 1304 (Sen. Moon); SB 1352 (Sen. Nicola)
These bills close dangerous loopholes in Missouri’s animal abuse laws by clarifying that starving an animal to death constitutes torture and by ensuring extreme neglect can be prosecuted as a felony. They also establish a narrowly tailored offense for malicious false reporting, protecting innocent animal owners while preserving the integrity of good-faith abuse reports.
SB 1352 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB1352.pdf
SB 1304 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB1304.pdf
Assault of Law Enforcement Animals: SB 1253 (Sen. Hudson)
This bill increases penalties for assaulting law enforcement animals, which includes police dogs, fire department dogs, and search & rescue animals. This bill recognizes the essential role many animals play in public safety. It establishes graduated felony offenses when a police animal is assaulted, injured, or killed, helping protect both the animals and the officers who rely on them.
SB 1253 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB1253.pdf
Law Enforcement Training: HB 1719 (Rep. West)
This bill provides law enforcement officers with training on canine behavior and safe dog-handling techniques, addressing a critical gap in officer preparedness. Improved training enhances officer safety, reduces unnecessary shootings of companion animals, and helps prevent avoidable trauma and costly mistakes.
HB 1719 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/4922H.01I.pdf
Adequate Control of Animals: HB 1714 (Rep. Sharpe)
This bill clarifies that animal owners must maintain control of their animals and establishes accountability when out-of-control animals cause injury, death, or property damage. The changes improve enforcement consistency and help protect both the public and animals from preventable harm.
HB 1714 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/5048H.01I.pdf
Pet Cemeteries - SB 1108 (Sen. Roberts)
This bill takes an important step toward recognizing the human–animal bond by explicitly allowing and regulating "human-and-pet cemeteries" in Missouri.
By treating these cemeteries the same as traditional cemeteries for licensing and endowed care purposes, the bill opens the door for families to be laid to rest alongside their beloved pets, honoring the reality that companion animals are family members, not property, while ensuring proper care, oversight, and consumer protections.
SB 1108 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB1108.pdf
Bills We Oppose
Cultivated Meat Bans: HB 1652 (Rep. Jordan); HB 1653 (Rep. Steinmeyer); & SB 1318 (Sen. Carter)
These bills would effectively ban cultivated meat in Missouri by restricting its sale, production, and labeling, regardless of safety or federal approval. They eliminate consumer choice and block innovative food technologies that could reduce animal suffering, environmental harm, and long-term food costs.
HB 1652 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/3983H.01I.pdf
HB 1653 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/5356H.01I.pdf
SB 1318 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/pdf-bill/intro/SB1318.pdf
Removing Local Oversight of Licensed Professions: HB 1795 (Rep. Murphy)
This bill would strip local governments of the authority to regulate veterinarians and many other licensed professions, overturning local protections such as cat declawing bans. Its sweeping scope would prevent communities from addressing abusive or unethical practices, or otherwise regulating these professions at all, and undermines local public health and animal welfare safeguards.
HB 1795 Bill Text: https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/4507H.01I.pdf
Freedom to Farm: SB 1266 (Sen. Moon)
This bill would dramatically limit state and local oversight of agricultural operations by weakening environmental, public health, and animal welfare protections. It shields harmful practices from accountability, restricts emergency response authority, and removes key consumer protections, posing serious risks to communities and animals alike.
SB 1266 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=390
Agriculture Education Program: SB 1383 (Sen. Washington)
This bill would require the Agriculture Education Pilot Program to be implemented in all elementary schools statewide. While agricultural education has an important place in our children's education, concerns remain regarding age-appropriateness, lack of balance, and the exclusion of animal welfare, environmental, and public health perspectives.
A statewide mandate without clear standards or safeguards risks presenting a one-sided industry sponsored view of agriculture to young students driven by financial interests rather than education.
SB 1383 Bill Text: https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/BillText.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=666
Your Input Matters
Contact Us With Your Questions or Feedback!
Have questions about any of these bills? Think we missed something, overlooked an important detail, or got something wrong?
Public input strengthens our work and helps ensure that animal welfare, public safety, and accountability remain at the center of Missouri’s laws.
We welcome your feedback and invite you to contact us to share your thoughts, concerns, or suggestions.