H.B. 341 Animal Fighting Penalties: transcript

House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee, Feb 19, 2026

1. Chair Albrecht (presiding)47:09

   Thank you, committee. Alright, We're gonna move to HB 2 41 3 41. Uh, animal Fighting Penalties, representative Erland.

2. Rep. Clinton Okerlund47:25

   Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, This committee is way more fun than Reverend Tax, I'll tell you that. We don't have good stories and, uh, it makes me feel sad that I don't have more fun. This is a good committee. This is a great committee. I'm gonna turn, uh, well, first of all, I'm gonna warn you that we're gonna be speaking to the Second Amendment on this, and, uh, we, the time comes, I'd love you to adopt that. And, uh, I'm going to now turn the time over to my friend Steve. He'll introduce himself and I'm going to encourage him to incorporate Representative Koford somehow into, uh, into his explanation of the bill. Wow. That is, I, I didn't come with any stories or any jokes, and I'm, this has been the most delightful morning I've had yet up here during the session, so thank you very much, uh, Mr. Chair, and, and, and I don't know if this is the right time to request to maybe be included on that email list of Representative Chu's stories. That would be, that would be, would You state your full name and, oh, Yes. I'm sorry for the email. Is that okay? Yeah.

3. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals48:28

   My name, uh, my name is, uh, thank you for this opportunity. My name is Steve Hyatt and I am speaking today on behalf of Humane World for Animals. We're grateful to, uh, be here this morning to present, uh, HB 3 41. Appreciate representative Erland and his, uh, wonderful, diligent work in, in helping us, uh, work through this bill. Uh, right now in Utah, our law enforcement is, uh, stuck in a dangerous waiting game. Cruelty, uh, officers can identify a massive training camp, for example, for dog or, uh, animal fighting cockfighting fighting roosters. They can see treadmills, specialized blades, but they often can't actually do anything until the animals are in the pit and the blood has been spilled. And so this is, this caught in the ACT requirement, um, allows for these criminal operations, uh, to flourish unchecked. And we saw the scale of this problem recently, as many of you may have, uh, seen in Provo with the operation, uh, with a, a bust that in involved 17 arrests and hundreds of birds with more than 50 that were, that were killed. And I believe, um, this morning, uh, the, the chief of Police and Chief Bebe sent an email to the committee, I believe to Ms. Hart. Um, and of course, as many of you know, uh, former representative Marsha Judkins has been, uh, supportive of this, uh, issue in the past as well. So the solution that of what we've come up in this bill, it attempts to bring our game foul statutes and in line with our existing dog fighting laws, which close two critical loopholes. The first is it allows police to intervene when there's clear evidence of possession and training with the intent to fight. And it recognizes that those who attend these events are part of that enterprise, criminal enterprise. Um, we also worked very, um, very, we spent a lot of time working with representatives from the ag community, uh, representatives, uh, uh, here in the house who have interest in this, uh, to ensure that we approach this bill, uh, with a, a surgeon's scalpel and not a sledgehammer, um, amendment two, which, uh, representative Erland, uh, referenced has, has a, has a couple of provisions in it, but, but primarily adding language, explicitly protecting the lawful breeding and possessing of foul. And finally, it's not just about animals. C**k fighting rings are, are frequently magnets for cartel activity, legal weapons, and the trafficking of fentanyl and meth into our communities. And, and this bill, uh, further protects our children by making it a crime to allow a minor to attend these events as well. So that gives our law enforcement the tools they need to stop organized crime by and, but additionally, giving a very deliberate, safe harbor for our farmers and those of our ag community. And we'd ask for your favorable recommendation. That's all I have.

4. Chair Albrecht (presiding)51:24

   Representative, uh, do you wanna discuss which amendment do we need to adopt to?

5. Rep. Clinton Okerlund51:29

   Ye Yes. Second Amendment.

6. Chair Albrecht (presiding)51:32

   Anything you wanna discuss about Amendment two?

7. Rep. Clinton Okerlund51:37

   Well, um, I, I think, I think I'll let Steve do it, but my understanding is that most of why we are adopting Amendment two is to make sure that it's protecting, um, it's specifying that it's fighting that happens inside the state and not necessarily the husbandry of the animals inside the state.

8. Chair Albrecht (presiding)51:58

   Okay. Thank you. And does that conclude your presentation?

9. Rep. Clinton Okerlund52:02

   Yes. Okay.

10. Chair Albrecht (presiding)52:05

    I'm afraid you're gonna get a lot of questions today. Representative Chew.

11. Rep. Scott H. Chew52:09

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, uh, one thing that I think, uh, it kind of, maybe a clarification on amendment too is, is I like the fact that it, that it crosses out the word livestock and specifies file in that, uh, uh, you know, in that, in that particular amendment. So I think that's a lot more appropriate for what we're trying to do here. So, uh, that's, I think it's a good thing. Thank

12. Chair Albrecht (presiding)52:32

    You. Thank you. Further questions from the committee, representative Arthur.

13. Rep. John Arthur52:36

    Thank you, chair. Um, I just have a question about, um, the, let's see here on line 47, where the possession of, um, dog fighting paraphernalia is prima fascia evidence of violation. So, if I'm understanding this correctly, if there is, you know, a person, they have a dog, as well as evidence that the paraphernalia that is also there is being used in this, in this fighting, uh, context, then that evidence on its own can be used. Like what, whether you see it being used in that way or not, just the possession of it is evidence that a crime has been committed. Um, I, the, the, the short answer to that is yes. Okay. Perfect. Short answer is good enough for me. Thank you.

14. Chair Albrecht (presiding)53:29

    Thank you, representative Arthur. Further questions from the committee?

15. Unknown speaker53:35speaker not certain

    I had a couple. So is this a big problem? State of Utah?

16. Chair Albrecht (presiding)53:43

    That's a, that's a Steve question.

17. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals53:45

    Uh, the, the short answer, uh, Mr. Chair is it it is, it is, it is a growing problem as, as we've seen, uh, with recent bus, and again, the one I've mentioned most recently in, in, in, in Provo, uh, it is a problem that we want to get to, to address and get ahead, but do so in a, a careful and responsible manner so that we're also not, not impacting rightful responsible bird owners and breeders.

18. Unknown speaker54:12speaker not certain

    Would you say it's limited to urban areas or is it also out in the rural areas?

19. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals54:18

    Um, I don't know that I'm the expert to tell you that for certainty. 'cause I, I wouldn't want, but the, the Provo, um, example is one, I know we've had one recently in West Valley. There have been a few other rural cases as well, but the West Valley and the Provo ones are the two that I'm most recent and, and most familiar with.

20. Chair Albrecht (presiding)54:36

    Thank you. Representative Chew. You had a question? Yeah,

21. Rep. Scott H. Chew54:38

    I, I do. Um, you know, uh, the discussion about the paraphernalia, what, what would, uh, what is dog fighting paraphernalia? I mean, you know, uh, I can remember seeing on, on cartoons when we were, uh, when I was a kid, which was a while ago. Uh, there might be a, a dog drawn with, uh, a collar that had spikes. I know they, uh, uh, I understood that some of the old bear, uh, fighters or bear uh, hunters use some of those kind of things with their dogs just to protect them from the, the bear. So what would, what is, uh, considered, uh, dog fighting paraphernalia?

22. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals55:12

    Yes. So thank you Mr. Chair for the question. Uh, this, this bill actually defines what that is so I can, I can share that with you really quickly. Dog fighting paraphernalia means a breaking stick treadmill wheel, man. My eyes are bad. Hot walker, cat mill, cat walker, Jenny or other item meant to train a dog to fight with another dog. But, uh, mostly I would guess that the fighting would probably be just in their instincts. They're, uh, the way they're bred some of those dogs. Yeah. I, and I think there are things that they can do to, uh, kind of amplify and, and bring out those, those instincts a little more through, through training.

23. Rep. Scott H. Chew55:54

    Hmm. Okay. Sounds like a lot of that stuff is the conditioning of the dog as far as he is. Physical conditioning. Yeah. Okay. Thanks

24. Chair Albrecht (presiding)56:02

    Representative Owens.

25. Rep. Doug Owens56:04

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to follow up on that question, maybe for Mr. Hyatt. I, I don't know what those words mean a lot, most of those, and I, I, I think the idea this bill is great because if you've got an object that's only used in a crime and has no other legitimate use, then the possession of that device should be penalized. So I take it that all those things, if people know what those are and they have no legitimate use in agrarian for agrarian purposes and stuff like that, I, uh, could you just, uh, elaborate a little bit on that? Yeah,

26. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals56:37

    You, you bet. So in a dog fighting, uh, scenario, if you've got, um, and, and, and I, I could not probably identify all of the devices myself because I don't own any, um, any, well, I own any spring poles or slat mills or, uh, modified treadmills. But I think, uh, the and weighted change, but if you were, if law enforcement were to come on a, a, a, a situation where they thought dock fighting was taking place and found a modified treadmill that had a muzzle or something that was attached to it with some of these other kind of conditioning devices, um, that would then be, uh, uh, would be, um, cause for law enforcement officer to, to make a recommendation for charges and of course would be the ultimately decision of a prosecutor. Um, and, and, and again, this is, we're speaking for the, those specifics are, are in the, in the dog fighting, uh, portion of this bill.

27. Rep. Doug Owens57:30

    Okay. Um, so your understanding though, the net net here is your understanding is none of these have legitimate purposes like Juab the treadmill, for example, I've seen videos of very happy looking dogs trotting along on treadmills. Yeah. And I don't think they were used for fighting. They were like little cordy and stuff. I mean, do you think we're not, we're not over, we reaching here, right?

28. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals57:53

    These are devices that really are closely associated with the, with the dog fighting. Yeah. I think the intent is that the, the devices that the, the devices that could be used as prima facie evidence would have to be, uh, all existing together where it would be pretty clear to say, Hey, I've got a great treadmill for my dog, but maybe not a, a shocking stick and, and a, a muzzle next to it. So they would have to be, would, would, the intent is that they would have to be found together in order to be utilized. Thank

29. Rep. Doug Owens58:21

    You.

30. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals58:23

    And I'll add to that in, in my research of what some of these were. Uh, some of them are conditioning for the, I mean, meaning the, the physical conditioning to, to help them be bigger and stronger and faster animals. But some of them are also, uh, torture devices meant to just antagonize the dog and, and create trauma for it.

31. Rep. Doug Owens58:43

    So I had a couple more questions. So when, when was the last time we had a bust for this kind of activity here in the state of Utah? For dog fighting? Yes. Or foul Fighting? Um, the, the foul would, I think the most recent one would be, uh, the Provo case. And that was, um, three four. I may have to phone a friend. It's, it's been a, uh, Approximately December 25, December of 2025. So, okay. Two months. And you mentioned drugs, uh, in your speech. Uh, is there a nexus there or a real nexus that this activity brings drugs? Um, well, yes sir. There is a suggested nex. I've been to this committee enough times to say that. I'm not going to tell you yes, there is a nec nexus and then not have a data point that I can point to you. Uh, so I'm, I'm not prepared for one. But, but, but yes, there, the, the criminal organized activity is, is tied to, um, to drugs, to other trafficking type of issues. Well, you mentioned it in your testimony. I was just curious that, so when they had this last bus, did they find drugs involved too?

32. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals59:57

    That is a great question. Um, I, I don't know for certain if drugs were part of that bust.

33. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:00:04

    Okay. I don't see any other questions from the committee. Um, yes, there Is. And We can, anyone in the public like to comment on this bill, come on up. His jacket. Okay.

34. Terry Camp, Utah Farm Bureau Federation1:00:26

    Um, good morning committee, um, Terry Camp. I'm the Vice President of Public Policy for the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Uh, we really appreciate the changes, uh, made by the sponsor through these amendments. Um, Utah Farm Bureau Federation opposes animal cruelty while also ensuring traditional animal husbandry practices remain protected. Um, we believe this does that. Thanks.

35. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:00:48

    Thank you. Anyone else in the room? Seeing none. Seeing none online, I'll close public comment, bring it back to the committee for action. Uh, we do have an amendment Representative Arthur,

36. Rep. John Arthur1:01:00

    Thank you Chair. I'd like to go ahead and make a motion that we adopt amendment two,

37. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:01:05

    Uh, motion's in order. Would you like to speak to it?

38. Rep. John Arthur1:01:08

    No, I, I, I'll waive. Okay. To the sponsor.

39. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:01:13

    Uh, I Waive. Thank you very much.

40. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:01:15

    Further discussion to the motion. Seeing none. All in favor of adopting Amendment two to HB 3 41. Animal fighting penalty, say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? You wanna carry on representative, please. And I know Representative Koford

41. Unknown speaker1:01:32speaker not certain

    so glad she didn't end up in this story at all. Still time. It's a very different narrative over here.

42. Rep. John Arthur1:01:37

    Uh, I'd like to make a motion that we, uh, move HB 3 41 as a do, uh, as amended, uh, with a favorable recommendation

43. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:01:48

    That motion's in order would as amended. Uh, would you like to speak to it?

44. Rep. John Arthur1:01:52

    No, I, I just, uh, I think this is an important bill and I'm, I'm honored to get to make this motion To the Committee for discussion.

45. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:02:00

    Representative Koford,

46. Rep. Jill Koford1:02:01

    Just in my defense, it's a good thing I have brothers, older brothers and have a sense of humor. So, um, and I appreciate this, appreciate this. Um, bill, actually, I, we own a pit bull and adopted him, and he is the sweetest, kindest dog on the planet. So I, I know that this is a problem when you're, you're breeding dogs to do this. It's a terrible, terrible thing. So thank

47. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:02:24

    You. Thank you to the sponsor for summation.

48. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:02:28

    Uh, just thank you very much for hearing this out, for your good questions. And if, uh, Representative Koford ever decides to become a, a, a police woman, she would, uh, be an excellent, uh, person to have, uh, on the case.

49. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:02:41

    Yes, you would. To the maker of the motion for summation. I'll place that motion then, uh, that we pass out. HB 3 41, animal Fighting Penalties as amended, uh, with a favorable recommendation to the house floor. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Congratulations. It was easier than you thought it was gonna be. Thank you. Thank you very much.

50. Rep. Jill Koford1:03:10

    And one final motion. Motion To adjourn.

51. Chair Albrecht (presiding)1:03:12

    Motion to adjourn. All in favor say aye. Give me that here. Adjourn. Thank you. I'm done with you guys.

Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee, Mar 3, 2026

1. Committee chair1:09:29

   Thank you. Up next is House Bill 3 41, animal Fighting Penalties, representative Erland.

2. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:09:43

   Thank you Mr. Chair and Committee. It strikes me how efficient you are here in this committee, and I, uh, don't want to, uh, ruin your record. So, uh, without further ado, I will introduce you to my friend Steve, and he'll introduce himself.

3. Steve Hiatt, Humane World for Animals1:09:56

   Uh, thank you Mr. Chair. Members of the committee on Be. My name is Steve Hyatt speaking. Today on behalf of Humane World, HB 3 41 is a law and order update that uses a scalpel, not a sledge hammer to stop a dangerous enforcement gap. Currently our, uh, law enforcement officers are forced into a waiting game, unable to intervene even when they find a professional training camp with fighting Spurs, treadmills. And this bill fixes that by making the, the possession of specific fighting paraphernalia a Class B misdemeanor, we have worked, uh, tirelessly to surgically protect our farmers by adding an ironclad in this state shield and removing the state sales ban. That is why it passed the house 64 to eight and was unanimous. And as a nine zero vote in the House Ag Committee, um, I handed out, uh, to each of you earlier, a letter from Provo Police Chief Phoebe, and just maybe to end my uh, presentation. Uh, in that letter he shared these rings are hubs for fentanyl illegal gambling, and this bill gives law enforcement the proportional tools they need to deter, repeat offenders and keep our communities safe. Therefore, we ask for a favorable recommendation. That concludes my presentation. My not,

4. Committee chair1:11:02

   Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Does that conclude your presentation representative?

5. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:11:05

   Uh, I'll make the comment that this, uh, this, this creates the law that I would've assumed that it existed, uh, in this form already had I, I not been told otherwise. So with that, I'll we'll take questions. Thank you.

6. Committee chair1:11:16

   Thank you. Any questions from committee members? Seeing none, uh, anyone from the public who is here to speak on this Bill I see one.

7. Terry Camp, Utah Farm Bureau Federation1:11:25

   Thank you. Um, my name's Terry Camp. I'm the Vice President of Public Policy for the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Uh, we've really appreciated, um, being able to work with the sponsor on this. Um, Utah Farm Bureau poses animal cruelty while also ensuring traditional animal husbandry practices remain protected. And we believe this bill accomplishes that and want to thank the sponsor for bringing it forward. Thanks.

8. Committee chair1:11:56

   Thank you. Okay. That ends the public hearing. Bring it back to the Committee for action on the bill. Senator Baldry,

9. Sen. Heidi Balderree1:12:04

   I recommend that we pass with a favorable recommendation, house Bill 3 41 to the full body of the Senate.

10. Committee chair1:12:09

    I'll take that as a motion. And the motion is to favorably recommend House Bill 3 41. Any discussion to that motion? Seeing none, representative Waive. Thank You. Thank you. Senator Balderree all waive, uh, the motion is to favorably recommend House Bill 3 41. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion passes unanimously. The bill is recommended. Thank you. Thank you.

House floor, Feb 24, 2026

1. Unknown speaker1:36:36speaker not certain

   House Bill 3 41, animal Fighting Penalties by Representative Erland. This bill will serve in natural Resources, agriculture, and Environment with the vote of 9 0 5.

2. Speaker (presiding)1:36:45

   Representative Erland, oh, sorry, Alice. Go. Representative. Shelley, I'll withdraw.

3. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:37:10

   Thank you for your patience, Mr. Speaker. This bill prohibits, uh, participating in and, uh, having paraphernalia related to, related to animal fighting that's generally foul fighting and dog fighting. Um, it creates a prima face, um, argument that if you have paraphernalia related to, um, to training or torturing or, uh, creating violence between animals, that that would, uh, that that would become a crime. And I don't know what kind of questions I'm gonna get, so I will open myself up to those questions. Thank you. Uh,

4. Speaker (presiding)1:38:05

   representative Erland, there's some amendments. Did you want any of those amendments or,

5. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:38:09

   Yes. I would love to have a friend amend that for me. Thank you. Mind moving my,

6. Speaker (presiding)1:38:30

   Okay. Uh, thank you Representative Erland. Uh, let's go to Representative Shelley.

7. Rep. Troy Shelley1:38:36

   Uh, motion to circle. Thank you, representative.

8. Speaker (presiding)1:38:38

   That motion is in order. We're gonna place the motion. Oh. Representative Erland on the motion to circle.

9. Rep. Clinton Okerlund1:38:43

   I, I support that. Thank you.

10. Speaker (presiding)1:38:44

    Thank you, representative Erland. We'll go ahead and place the motion. The motion before is the House circle HB 3 41. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Roll. That motion passes. The bill's been circled. Okay. Let's go to Madam Marine Clerk

House floor, Feb 26, 2026