Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (Florida)
S.B. 272/ H.B. 297
Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) laws allow advocates — supervised law students or volunteer lawyers — to advocate for animal victims in criminal cruelty cases.
Status
The Animal Legal Defense Fund supports this bill.
Sponsors: Senator Jennifer Bradley (R-6), Representative Lindsay Cross (D-60), Representative Berny Jacques (R-59)
Introduction Date: October 30, 2023
Proposed legislation, S.B. 272/H.B. 297, would create a Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) in Florida. The bill would empower volunteer lawyers to represent the interests of cats and dogs criminal cases concerning the animal’s well-being.
Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) laws allow legal practitioners, in this case, volunteer lawyers, supervised law students, or emeritus attorneys, to advocate for animal victims in criminal cruelty cases. Advocates appear in court and assist the judge by drafting briefs, conducting research, gathering information from veterinarians, animal control officers, and law enforcement officials, and making recommendations on behalf of the animal victim’s interests. CAAP laws provide animal crime victims with an advocate whose duty is to consider the animal’s interests — properly contextualized within criminal law.
The first CAAP law was enacted in 2016 in Connecticut.
Why is this law important?
Criminal animal cruelty proceedings are often complex and time-consuming. Advocates would support the work of judges and prosecutors by directing the court’s attention specifically to the needs of the animals involved in the case. A CAAP law would help further protect against egregious instances of criminal animal cruelty.
Coalition Support: Humane Society of the United States
For more information about animal protection legislation in Florida and opportunities to take action for animals, visit aldf.org/florida.
