We need your help now to urge the Senate to pass important animal protection legislation! Using the information below, please contact your Senator by Thursday and encourage him or her to vote in support of SB 293 and SB 294.
In June, we shared that our bond-or-forfeit bills had been reintroduced in the Michigan Senate as SB 293 and SB 294. The bills were referred to the Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee. These bills would improve the bond-or-forfeit process in the anti-neglect and anti-cruelty statutes that applies when an animal’s owner is charged with neglect or cruelty.
When animals are seized from an abusive or neglectful owner pursuant to a warrant or because of exigent circumstances, flaws in the current bond-or-forfeit process mean that the animals are potentially subjected to being held by the seizing agency for months or even years at the agency’s expense while a criminal case is pursued against the owner. Michigan Humane drafted proposed amendments to the current bond-or-forfeit process that would effectuate the legislature’s original intent to allow an agency seizing animals in a neglect or cruelty case to obtain a cost-of-care bond or ownership of the animals through forfeiture.
The Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee heard the bills on September 4, 2025. On September 11, 2025, the Committee voted unanimously to report the bills to the Senate floor with a recommendation that they pass.
Please help us get the bills to pass the Senate!
We expect the bills to receive a vote of the full Senate in the near future. If you are willing to spend just a few minutes emailing your Senator’s office, you can help us advocate for these critically important bills! It is easy to find out who your Senator is by using the search tool here. On the right side of the page, under “Find Your Senator,” click the button for “address.” Enter your address and click “search.” You will be taken to a page with your Senator’s name and contact information.
We recommend a message (sent by email or by using the contact form) along the following lines, although you should feel free to use your own words:
Dear Senator [insert Senator’s last name]:
I am your constituent, and my address is [insert your address]. I urge you to support SB 293 and SB 294 when they are presented for a vote. By creating a more effective bond-or-forfeit process in Michigan’s animal neglect and animal cruelty statutes, these bills will protect Michigan citizens, resources, and animals. Thank you for your time and consideration.
If you prefer to call your Senator’s office, that is also impactful. You should expect to speak to a staff member and say that you are a constituent and that you are calling to urge the Senator’s support for SB 293 and SB 294. The staff member may ask you to provide your address.
Elected officials are keenly interested in their constituents’ positions on pending legislation. Investing just a few minutes of your time in support of these bills can have a tremendous impact. Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard and for speaking for the animals!
We are going to keep working to improve animal welfare and create a more humane community while serving as a voice for the animals through advocacy. Together, we can continue to make a difference in animals’ lives. If you know someone who you think would be interested in this information, please forward this to them and encourage them to sign up for our Legislative Action Network.