Falsely calling an animal a service animal to a person or entity operating a public accommodation would be an offense punishable by a $250 fine under a bill that cleared a House committee on Monday.
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said he decided to introduce Senate Bill 654 after hearing complaints about people calling their pets service animals, which are dogs trained to help people with disabilities with certain tasks. For instance, he said, some people will call their dog a service animal to get it into a hotel without having to pay a fee.
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“This is something that our constituents see, and, frankly, are tired of seeing,” he said.
He said he’s afraid the frustration with fake service animals will lead to discrimination against people with real service animals.
He said he researched laws addressing the issue in more than 30 other states and copied the least punitive one he could find.
The bill passed in the Senate 35-0 on Thursday. On Monday, the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor sent it to the full House in a voice vote, with no members dissenting.