Two bills making their way through the legislature to give more duties to the Office of Animal Welfare.
The 10-year-old state Office of Animal Welfare could walk away from this year’s General Assembly with added duties and new money to hire more officers.
Two bills recently passed through the House Health & Human Development committee that would impact the office.
Senate Bill 71, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, would require law-enforcement agencies, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, and the Department of Justice to report cases of animal abuse to the Office of Animal Welfare.
House Bill 124, sponsored by Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow, would add a civil penalty for the first noise complaints received from barking dogs, then a $50 fine for the second violation, $100 for a third violation, and $150 for any subsequent violations. All of that would be sent to Animal Welfare to handle.
Mark Tobin, chief of Delaware Animal Services, said the office already gets reports from Child Services about instances of animal abuse, so SB 71 would serve to codify something that’s already being done instead of adding more work.
Christina Motoyoshi, executive director of Animal Welfare, said in an email that HB 124 would create more work and response may not be immediate from a staff that’s already down some officers.
“Due to staffing and safety concerns, OAW only responds after hours to emergencies, so barking dog complaints could only be handled during business hours,” she said.
Senate Bill 71 says it doesn’t require a fiscal note. House Bill 124 would cost $73,682 in ongoing and one-time costs for the 2024 fiscal year, $240,857 in the 2025 fiscal year, $244,866 in the 2026 fiscal year, and then increase by 2% each year.
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The increased costs are to add three more full time Animal Welfare employees, one for each county.
Tobin said the office is authorized for 30 officers but now has 27 officers. They include 23 full time employees and four being seasonal. Six of the new hires are currently in training and should be ready before summer.
When the office was formed in 2013, Tobin said it responded to about 12,000 calls each year with 13 officers. The number of calls has increased each year to about 25,000 calls.
Tobin said the office is able to handle all the cases it gets, but has to prioritize some cases over others.
“It may not be as quick as the public may need,” he said. “Because again when something happens to you, you expect instant gratification when you hit that button, 911 or our phone number.
“But yes, we have dispatchers that are in communication with those people. So while they’re waiting, they understand that we’re handling something a little more important at that point.”
Tobin said the office would be happy to have more officers and has been trying to fill its current roster of 30 slots.
“We’re doing our best to make sure that we get officers,” he said.
Animal Welfare wants its seven new officers on the street before summer, because the office always has a sharp increase in complaints.
This isn’t the first time that Morrison has tried passing barking dog legislation. Last year he sponsored House Bill 378, which was voted out of the Health & Human Development committee, but never got a vote on the House floor.
In the operating budget for the 2023 fiscal year, the office was authorized $932,900 from the general fund, $3.5 million from the appropriated special fund, and oversee $413,300 for the state spay neuter fund.
One reason Hansen wants animal abuse reported is that it’s said to often occur in homes where there’s also domestic or child abuse.
Ashley Dawson, communications director for the Delaware Children’s Department, said Senate Bill 71 will have an impact on their department, and that their staff will make reports in line with the new legislation.
Senate Bill 71 is on the House’s May 9 agenda. House 124 has been placed on the ready list but doesn’t yet have a vote scheduled.
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