HCS/SS/SCS/SB 918 - This act modifies provisions relating to working animals.MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE DOGS (Sections 209.150 & 209.200) - This act adds "mental health service dog" to the definition of a service dog. A mental health service dog, or psychiatric service dog, is a dog that has been individually trained for an owner who has a psychiatric disability, medical condition, or developmental disability, including but not limited to, the following: autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. The dog is trained to perform tasks to assist the owner, including alerting or responding to panic attacks and anxiety, as well as performing other tasks directly related to the owner's disability.
These provisions are substantially similar to HB 1369 (2018), SB 335 (2017), and similar to HCS/HB 1428 (2016), HB 787 (2015), and HB 142 (2015).
SERVICE DOGS (Section 209.204) - Under this act, any person who knowingly misrepresenting a dog as a service dog, as described in the act, for the purposes of receiving accommodations regarding service dogs under the Americans with Disabilities Act shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class B misdemeanor for each subsequent offense. Additionally, any person knowingly misrepresenting any animal as an assistance animal, as described in the act, for the purposes of receiving accommodations regarding assistance animals under the Fair Housing Act or Rehabilitation Act shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class B misdemeanor for each subsequent offense.
The Missouri Commission on Human Rights shall use its existing complaint hotline to receive reports of individuals impersonating a person with a disability, misrepresenting a dog as a service dog, or misrepresenting an animal as an assistance animal. The Governor's Council on Disability shall prepare and make available online a placard for posting in a front window or door of a business stating that service dogs are welcome and misrepresenting a service dog is a violation of Missouri law. The Council shall also prepare and make available a brochure detailing guidelines regarding service dogs and assistance animals.
This provision is identical to HCS/HB 2031 (2018).
WORKING ANIMALS (Section 262.760) - Under this act, no law, ordinance, regulation, policy, or rule shall be enacted by any political subdivision that terminates or bans the job or use of working animals or a working animal enterprise. Further, this act prohibits any political subdivision from imposing any ordinance prohibiting working animals on public streets unless such street, or time of day for a particular street, poses a threat to public health, safety, or welfare or poses an imminent threat to the safety of the working animal. For purposes of this act, "working animal" means the use of any animal for the purpose of performing a specific duty or function in entertainment, transportation, educational exhibits, or exhibition.
This act is identical to HCS#2/HB 1907 (2018).
KAYLA HAHN