WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HF 2348

A bill for an act relating to animal torture, and providing penalties.

2025-2026 Regular Session

HF 2348 upgrades animal torture to a Class D felony, with prior-offense penalties rising to Class C, tightening penalties and increasing costs.

Fiscal note.
#animalcruelty #criminallaw
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HF 2348

Summary of HF 2348 (Session: 2025-2026) – Iowa

Purpose and intent

  • HF 2348 relates to the crime of animal torture and increases penalties for several related offenses when committed in connection with animal cruelty.
  • The bill shifts certain offenses from aggravated misdemeanors to felonies (specifically Class D or Class C), and creates heightened penalties for individuals with prior related convictions.

Key provisions and changes

  • Animal torture definition and penalties

    • Under the bill, a person is guilty of animal torture if they intentionally or knowingly:
    • Crushes, burns, drowns, suffocates, impales, or otherwise subjects an animal to serious injury or death; or
    • Causes, directs, or provides anything of value to another person to do the same.
    • Penalty changes:
    • Animal torture would be upgraded from an aggravated misdemeanor to a Class D felony (confinement up to 5 years; fines roughly $1,025 to $10,245, per current ranges).

  • Enhanced penalties for prior related offenses (increased to Class C felony)

    • A person with prior convictions for any of the following offenses would face a Class C felony for current violations:
    • Animal abuse (Iowa Code 717B.2)
    • Animal neglect punishable as a serious misdemeanor or aggravated misdemeanor (717B.3)
    • Animal torture (717B.3) when the violation involves injury to or interference with a police service dog (717B.9)
    • Bestiality (717C.1)
    • An act involving a prohibited animal contest (717D.2)
    • Class C felony penalties: confinement up to 10 years; fines typically $1,370 to $13,660.

  • Penalty framework (current vs. proposed)

    • Current baseline penalties (as context):
    • Aggravated misdemeanor: up to 2 years, fines up to $8,540.
    • Class D felony: up to 5 years, fines up to $10,245.
    • Class C felony: up to 10 years, fines up to $13,660.
    • HF 2348 raises animal torture to a Class D felony; prior-offense escalations raise to Class C felony.

Who is affected

  • Individuals convicted of animal torture (newly elevated to Class D felonies).
  • Individuals with prior convictions for the listed related offenses (prior offenses trigger Class C felony for subsequent violations).
  • Law enforcement, the judiciary, the Department of Corrections, and associated support agencies (due to changes in sentencing and potential increases in prison, probation, and CBC caseloads).

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill includes a six-month delay from the effective date before first offenders would enter correctional supervision under the new penalties.
  • The fiscal note indicates the overall fiscal impact would be minimal, but establishes:
    • Estimated average cost per conviction for first offenses rising from around $8,300–$12,200 (current aggravated misdemeanor) to $13,000–$18,100 (Class D felony).
    • Second offenses (Class C or higher) would incur higher expected costs (approximately $15,000–$25,200 for Class C vs. $13,000–$18,100 for Class D), with corresponding impacts on state correctional resources.
  • The bill’s impact on minority communities and exact conviction counts cannot be precisely determined from current data; the fiscal note notes minimal overall impact but acknowledges uncertainties in offender-level and prison-admission projections.

Summary of fiscal considerations

  • Overall estimate: minimal net fiscal impact to the state at the macro level.
  • Cost per conviction is higher for the upgraded offenses, with first-offense prison-related costs increasing when moving from aggravated misdemeanor to Class D felony, and further increases for Class C felony on second offenses.
  • Costs would be borne by the General Fund throughJudicial Branch operations, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections, spread over multiple years.

Effective date

  • The bill includes a delay to account for an initial correctional-system intake period, with a stated six-month waiting period before the first offenders hit correctional supervision under the new penalties.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.