AUSTIN, Texas — A House committee advanced a bill Tuesday that clarifies the safety requirements for leaving dogs tied up and unattended outdoors, and also allows officials to more immediately get involved if there’s a violation.​

What You Need To Know

  • A bill advanced Tuesday that sets safety requirements for leaving dogs tied up and unattended outdoors, and also allows officials immediate intervention if it’s violated

  • Animal rights activists pushed for this bill for years

  • Gov. Abbott vetoed the bill, calling it “micro-managing and over-criminalization”

  • The bill was later added to the third special session call

Animal rights activists have been pushing for the legislation for years, and during the regular legislative session, the bill made it all the way to the governor's desk with bipartisan support. 

In a surprise move though, Abbott vetoed it, calling it “micro-managing and over-criminalization.”

Abbott later added the item to the third special session call, and animal rights activists say that after working with the governor and other stakeholders to tweak the bill, they’re hoping it’ll make it across the finish line. 

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter takes care of thousands of animals in need every year. 

“Providing a safe place for an animal to live I think is a huge reflection of the community," said Misty Valenta, animal services director at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter. 

But for years, animal rights activists have said more needs to be done to protect dogs in Texas. 

Despite existing animal cruelty laws, law enforcement currently has to give dog owners a 24-hour notice before intervening over violations. 

“Dogs suffer and die at the ends of their restraints," said Stacy Sutton Kerby, director of government relations at the Texas Humane Legislation Network. 

“One that really, it stays with me...The puppy had a collar embedded in his neck and hanging off of that collar was a karabiner and a hook that together weighed over a pound," said Valenta. 

The bill made it to the governor’s desk with bipartisan support during the regular legislative session this year. 

"There are some jurisdictions that have to give a warning, and come back 24 hours later, to see if that dog is still in the same condition. And you can imagine that, you know, sometimes a dog might leave that condition only to come back to it shortly after that visit," said Valenta. "With the option for the officer to immediately seize that animal they don't have to wait until collars are embedded. They don't have to wait until there is a serious medical need. They can act quicker on it. They can help that family learn how to contain their animals safely and keep them happy and healthy."​​

In an unexpected move, the governor vetoed the bill earlier this year.

"We were really thrown for a loop, we have been in communication with the governor's team and we thought everyone was clear about the policy. We've been on a four session, six-year quest to get this part of the code cleaned up, so we were shocked and surprised," said Kerby. ​

But when the governor added the issue to the special session agenda, advocates say they worked with Abbott’s office and other stakeholders to make small changes to the bill, but say the spirit of the bill is the same. 

“I truly believe that everyone has landed in a place where they feel comfortable that it's not government overreach and that it will appropriately empower officers to intervene when necessary," said Kerby. 

After hearing public testimony on the bill on Tuesday, a House committee voted to send it to the full House floor, and advocates say they’re optimistic. 

“We do everything that we can to have families living with their pets in the safest environment possible. And this bill will just provide that safety net to all the dogs in Texas," said Valenta. 

The bill has already gotten Senate approval. 

If it passes on the House floor, it’ll go back to the governor’s desk.