Reba the bulldog’s bill lives on in Nevada Legislature
The effort to get “Reba’s Law” on the books in Nevada is once again on the table after the animal cruelty bill was revived past Friday’s deadline.
The bill, named after an English bulldog left taped in a plastic tote bin during a summer heat wave, aimed to strengthen penalties for animal abuse. Assembly Bill 381, introduced by Assembly member Melissa Hardy, R-Henderson, had its first hearing on March 19.
It appeared dead over the weekend when it did not meet Friday’s deadline for bills without exemptions to pass out of their committees. But the Assembly Judiciary Committee brought it back through an exemption on Monday.
Assemblymember Brittney Miller, committee chair, said on X that the committee wanted to revise the bill before sending it to a floor vote. It was amended and passed Monday afternoon.
“I’m working on amendments now that address all the concerns that were raised while still holding abusers accountable as we fight for Justice to end Animal Cruelty!” Miller, D-Las Vegas, said in an X post before the work session. “Assembly Judiciary is passing a more robust version of Reba’s Law today!”
The changes to the bill include more detailed penalties, according to conceptual amendments posted online. It also adds a penalty that bans animal ownership in the future for seven years to life depending on the crime’s classification.
It must next pass an Assembly floor vote to continue to the governor’s desk. The next deadline for non-exempt bills is April 22.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
