House Bill 1541

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 97-41-18, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CORRECT AN INTERNAL REFERENCE IN THE PROVISION SETTING FORTH THE CRIME OF CONDUCTING A FIGHT BETWEEN A CANINE AND A HOG; TO REMOVE THE REPEAL DATE ON THE PROVISION; TO REQUIRE INTENT TO COMMIT THE CRIME OF SUPPORTING SUCH A FIGHT AND TO CLARIFY THE ELEMENTS OF SUCH OFFENSE; TO AMEND SECTION 97-41-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY THERETO; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 97-41-18, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

97-41-18. (1) For the purposes of this section, "hog" means a pig, swine or boar.

(2) It is unlawful for any person to organize or conduct any commercial event commonly referred to as a "catch" wherein there is a display of combat or fighting among one or more domestic or feral canines and feral or domestic hogs and in which it is intended or reasonably foreseeable that the canines or hogs would be injured, maimed, mutilated or killed.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to intentionally do any of the following in order to financially or materially support any event prohibited by this section:

(a) Finance, commercially advertise, sell admission tickets or employ persons.

(b) Own, manage or operate any facility or property.

(d) Knowingly purchase tickets of admission.

(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any competitive event in which canines trained for hunting or herding activities are released in an open or enclosed area to locate and corner hogs, commonly referred to as a "bay event," and in which competitive points are deducted if a hog is caught and held.

(5) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the lawful hunting of hogs with canines or the use of canines for the management, farming or herding of hogs which are livestock or the private training of canines for the purposes enumerated in this subsection provided that such training is conducted for the field using accepted dog handling and training practices and is not otherwise in violation of the provisions of subsections (2) or (3) of this section.

(6) Any person convicted under the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), imprisoned for not more than six (6) months, or both.

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SECTION 2. Section 97-41-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

97-41-11. Any person who shall keep or use, or in any way be connected with or interested in the management of, or shall receive money for the admission of any person to, any place kept or used for the purpose of fighting any bear, cock or other creature, * * * or of tormenting or torturing the same, and every person who shall encourage, aid, or assist therein, or who shall permit or suffer any place to be so kept or used, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. It shall be the duty of any policeman or other officer of the law, county or municipal, to enter into any such place kept for such purpose, and to arrest each and every person concerned or participating therein.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007.