Legislators deadlock on animal-cruelty bill

Lawmakers couldn't agree during Wednesday's special session about when animal torture should be considered a felony, but sponsors of competing bills promised to work out a compromise in time for the 2008 Legislature.

Legislators also voted to authorize the state to place more inmates in the Garfield County Jail, a decision that will allow county officials to move forward with plans to enlarge the jail.

Two bills on animal cruelty were introduced in the state Senate at the start of the daylong special session, and both were quickly sent to a committee for further study during the next general session.

Throughout the day, negotiations were under way behind the scenes to reach a compromise. Although Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said lawmakers came "very close to an agreement," there was no deal before lawmakers adjourned.

Senators already had passed a version of one of the bills that was on Wednesday's agenda. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake, would have made animal torture a third-degree felony. But the House did not get to the bill before the end of the 2007 Legislature.

A second bill, introduced by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, would have made animal cruelty a felony only on the second offense. Christensen said he was concerned about destroying the life of someone "who does a one-time stupid thing."

Davis and Christensen joined Valentine at a last-minute news conference early Wednesday evening to announce that a compromise was still being sought. But neither side could say for certain what the compromise would be.

One option still under consideration is allowing the option of charging someone with a felony on a first offense, depending on the severity of the crime. Davis said lawmakers will meet privately to work out the details before involving animal-rights advocates and the public.

Not all of supporters of Davis' bill — dubbed "Henry's Law" after the small dog who survived being baked in an oven and assaulted with a leaf blower — were willing to compromise. Neither the Humane Society of Utah nor Henry's owner, Rhonda Kamper, appeared at the news conference.

Earlier in the day, Humane Society leaders and Kamper had said they were disappointed that no animal-cruelty bills passed and said they would be back in January to fight for a measure making animal cruelty a first-offense felony.