The Hawai'i State Senate advanced a bill that would make it a civil violation to falsely present an animal as a service animal. The bill now moves to the House.
Senate Bill 2461 would make the act of knowingly and falsely claiming an animal to be a service animal punishable by a fine. The intent of the bill is to curb the increasing problem of people bringing animals into unauthorized locations by claiming the animals provide necessary support for a disability.
The bill draws the distinction between service animals — dogs trained to assist owners with disabilities — and emotional support animals or comfort animals — any untrained animal that provides an owner companionship, typically referred to as a “pet.”
The penalties the bill lays out would range from fines of $100-$250 for a first offense, and $100-$500 for a subsequent offense.
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