Senator McNeil’s first bill would create crimes for entering animal enclosures; committee flags drafting questions

Senator McNeil presented House Bill 1196, her first bill in the chamber, as a response to incidents involving animals at exhibits. “This house bill establishes specific criminal offenses and penalties for unauthorized entry into animal enclosures and interference with wild animals,” she told the Rules Committee.

McNeil said the bill aims to protect animals housed in facilities such as zoos and sanctuaries and to protect staff responsible for their care; she cited incidents at Zoo Atlanta as part of the bill’s origin. “Zoo Atlanta has had some issues with people throwing and harassing the animals over there,” she said.

Committee members pressed on definitions and scope. Senator Albers asked the presenter to define “wild animal”; McNeil replied the bill would cover “any animal currently or historically found in the wild, but that that definition would also include domestic animals and livestock, kept in a normal course and scope of agribusiness,” and she said she would be agreeable to an amendment to clarify whether aquariums are covered.

Other questions addressed prosecutorial classifications under Title 16 and whether the offense duplicates existing trespass and criminal-trespass statutes; McNeil acknowledged those points and said the bill is intended to provide clearer, specific offenses for dangerous or disruptive conduct around animal enclosures. Several senators signaled support for refining the language before floor consideration.

The Rules Committee later advanced HB1196 to the general rules calendar as part of a batch motion. If amended, the measure’s final scope (including whether aquariums are explicitly covered and the statutory degree of offenses) will be decided during subsequent committee or floor debate.