Learn more: bit.ly/preemptionwatch
TREND: State Legislators are Largely Rejecting State Preemption Bills that Prohibit Local Governments from Adopting Pit Bull Laws
9.5 Year Trend: January 2012 to May 15, 2021
In 2012, a new wave of state preemption bills barring cities and counties from enacting breed-specific laws began being pushed by Utah-based fighting dog advocates, Best Friends Animal Society, and dog breeder interest groups. Since January 2012, state legislators have rejected 83% (43) of these preemption bills. Over the last 4.5 years, Jan. 2017 to May 2021, the rejection rate increased to 91%.
Year State Pass Fail
2021 Iowa§ X Kentucky X Mississippi X
Missouri§ X Total 52 Session attempts
§Indicates two separate preemption bills were introduced during the legislative session and both failed.
4.5-Year Total (Jan. 2017 through May 15, 2021) Pass Fail
22 Session attempts 2 20 9% 91%
9.5-Year Total (Jan. 2012 through May 15, 2021) Pass Fail
52 Session attempts 9 43 17% 83%
DogsBite.org – Some dogs don’t let go May 17, 2021
January 2012 to May 15, 2021
Year State Pass Fail
2021 Iowa§ X Kentucky X Mississippi X
Missouri§ X 2021 total: 0 4 2020 Kentucky X Michigan X
Missouri§‡ X Washington X 2020 total: 0 4
2019 Michigan§ X
Missouri§ X Washington X 2019 total: 1 2 2018 Colorado X
Michigan§ X
Missouri§ X Vermont X
Washington§ X West Virginia X 2018 total: 0 6 2017 Delaware X
Missouri§ X Vermont X
Washington§ X West Virginia X 2017 total: 1 4
2016 Arizona† X Delaware X Idaho X
Georgia§ X
Kentucky§ X Michigan X Missouri X Washington X West Virginia X 2016 total: 1 8
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2015 Arizona X
Georgia§ X Kentucky X Michigan X Montana X
North Carolina§ X Washington X 2015 total: 0 7 2014 Georgia X
Maryland§ X Grassroots Missouri§ X efforts to fight South Dakota X these bills Utah X began in 2014 Vermont X Washington X 2014 total: 2 5 2013 Connecticut X Nevada X New Mexico X Rhode Island X West Virginia X 2013 total: 3 2 2012 Idaho X Massachusetts X 2012 total: 1 1 Total 9 43
§Indicates two separate preemption bills were introduced during the legislative session and both failed. ‡Indicates bill was also added to 6 separate omnibus bills that failed to pass the House Chamber. †Hidden in a preemption bill that banned local puppy mill ordinances, penned by Best Friends.
End notes - Failed & carry over bills 2021 - Iowa HF 59 (Rep. Jennifer Konfrst) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/IA/bill/HF59/2021 2021 - Iowa SF 143 (Sen. Chris Cournoyer) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/IA/bill/SF143/2021 2021 - Kentucky SB 82 (Sen. Adrienne Southworth) https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/SB82/2021 2021 - Mississippi HB 204 (Rep. Gene Newman) https://legiscan.com/MS/bill/HB204/2021 2021 - Missouri HB 365 (Rep. David Gregory) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB365/2021 2021 - Missouri SB 107 (Sen. Sandy Crawford) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB107/2021 2020 - Michigan HB 4035 (Rep. Jim Ellison)
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https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/HB4035/2019 2020 - Missouri SB 523 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri SB 544 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri SB 594 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri SB 600 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri SB 725 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri SB 774 - HCS - Section 67.142 (Rep. Ron Hicks) 2020 - Missouri HB 2241 & 2244 (Rep. David Gregory, Rep. Ron Hicks) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB2241/2020 2020 - Missouri HB 2244 (Rep. Ron Hicks) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB2244/2020 2020 - Kentucky HB 512 (Rep. Joe Graviss) https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/HB512/2020 2020 - Washington SB 5094 (Sen. Guy Palumbo, Sen. Lynda Wilson) https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/SB5094/2017 2019 - Michigan HB 4035 (Rep. Jim Ellison) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/HB4035/2019 2019 - Missouri HB 297 (Rep. Ron Hicks) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB297/2019 2019 - Missouri HB 559 (Rep. Bryan Spencer) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB559/2019 2018 - Michigan SB 741 (Sen. David Robertson) https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0741/2017 2018 - Michigan SB 709 (Sen. Wayne Schmidt, Sen. David Robertson) https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0709/2017 2018 - Missouri HB 1398 (Rep. Bruce DeGroot) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB1398/2018 2018 - Missouri SB 1069 (Sen. Crawford) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB1069/2018 2018 - Washington SB 5094 (Sen. Guy Palumbo) https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/SB5094/2017 2018 - Washington HB 1090 (Rep. Sherry Appleton) https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB1090/2017 2018 - Colorado HB 18-1126 (Rep. Paul Rosenthal) https://legiscan.com/CO/bill/HB1126/2018 2018 - West Virginia HB 2168 (Rep. Pat McGeehan) https://legiscan.com/WV/bill/HB2168/2017 2018 - Vermont HB 416 (Rep. Jean O'Sullivan) https://legiscan.com/VT/bill/H0416/2017 2017 - Missouri SB 114 (Sen. Dave Schatz) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB114/2017 2017 - Missouri HB 905 (Rep. Bill DeGroot) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB905/2017 2017 - Missouri SB 446 (Sen. Caleb Rowden) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB446/2017 2017 - Vermont HB 416 (Rep. Jean O'Sullivan) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/VT/bill/H0416/2017 2017 - Washington SB 5094 (Sen. Guy Palumbo) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/SB5094/2017 2017 - Washington HB 1090 (Rep. Sherry Appleton) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB1090/2017 2017 - West Virginia HB 2168 (Rep. Pat McGeehan) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/WV/bill/HB2168/2017 2016 - Delaware HB 472 (Rep. Charles Potter) https://legiscan.com/DE/bill/HB427/2015 2016 - Idaho HB 470 (Rep. Mike Moyle)
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https://legiscan.com/ID/bill/H0470/2016 2016 - Georgia SB 184 (Sen. Ellis Black), HB 124 (Rep. John Yates) https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB184/2015 https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB124/2015 2016 - Kentucky SB 116 (Sen. Paul Hornback) https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/SB116/2016 2016 - Kentucky HB 510 (Rep. Tom Riner) https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/HB510/2016 2016 - Michigan SB 239 (Sen. David Robertson) https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0239/2015 2016 - Missouri HB 1811 (Sen. Rep. Ron Hicks) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB1811/2016 2016 - Washington HB 1018 and its substitute (Rep. Sherry Appleton) https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB1018/2015 2016 - West Virginia HB 4508 (Del. Pat McGeehan) https://legiscan.com/WV/bill/HB4508/2016 2015 - Arizona SB 1292 (Sen. Steve Smith) https://legiscan.com/AZ/bill/SB1292/2015 2015 - Georgia SB 184 (Sen. Ellis Black) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB184/2015 2015 - Georgia HB 124 (Rep. John Yates) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB124/2015 2015 - Kentucky SB 124 (Sen. Tom Buford) https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/SB124/2015 2015 - Michigan SB 239 (Sen. David Robertson) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0239/2015 2015 - Montana SB 239 (Sen. Douglas Kary) https://legiscan.com/MT/bill/SB239/2015 2015 - North Carolina HB 751 (Rep. Michael Wray), https://legiscan.com/NC/bill/H751/2015 2015 - North Carolina HB 271 (Rep. Rodney Moore) https://legiscan.com/NC/bill/H271/2015 2015 - Washington HB 1018 (Rep. Sherry Appleton) - Carry over https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB1018/2015 2014 - Georgia HB 409 (Rep. David Knight) https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB409/2014 2014 - Maryland HB 422 (Rep. Shelia Hixon) https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/HB422/2014 2014 - Maryland SB 991 (Sen. Nancy King) https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/SB991/2014 2014 - Missouri HB 1116 (Rep. Ronπ Hicks) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/HB1116/2014 2014 - Missouri SB 865 (Sen. Brian Nieves) https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB865/2014 2014 - Vermont HB 775 (Rep. Dave Potter) https://legiscan.com/VT/bill/HB775/2014 2014 - Washington HB 2117 (Rep. Sherry Appleton) https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB2117/2014 2013 - New Mexico HB 63 (Rep. Yvette Herrell) https://legiscan.com/NM/bill/HB63/2013 2013 - West Virginia SB 608 (Sen. Chris Walters) http://bit.ly/SB608wv 2012 - Idaho SB 1302 (Sen. Tim Corder) http://bit.ly/SB1302id
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