SB 750 - This act adds "mental health service dog" to the definition of a service dog. A mental health service dog, or a psychiatric service dog, is a dog that has been individually trained for an owner who has a psychiatric disability, medical condition, or developmental disability. The dog is trained to perform tasks to mitigate or assist the owner with difficulties directly related to the disability. Under this act, any person 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 the 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 that 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.
These provisions are substantially similar to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SB 644 (2020), HCS/SB 656 (2020), SCS/HCS/HB 1683 (2020), HCS/HB 1319 (2020), HCS/HB 107 (2019), SCS/SB 107 (2019), HCS/HB 2031 (2018), and HCS/SS/SCS/SB 918 (2018).
SARAH HASKINS