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The bill was in the top spot on the Legislative Assembly’s agenda last week, but motions filed mostly by Libertarian Movement lawmaker Otto Guevara blocked discussion of the bill during the final days of the extraordinary period of sessions that ended April 26.Among its main goals, the animal welfare bill seeks stricter sanctions, including prison sentences ranging from six months to three years and monetary fines of up to $1,600, for causing the death of an animal. Animal cruelty or abuse would be punishable with prison time from six months to two years and fines of up to $1,300. The bill describes abuse as any action affecting an animal’s health, including the loss or disabling of a body organ. The bill also proposes penalties for individuals who promote animal fights, perform sexual acts on animals or practice vivisection on them for purposes not related to scientific research.Opponents say the bill would cripple Costa Rican traditions like bullfighting and horse parades. President Luis Guillermo Solís, who is responsible for setting the legislative agenda during the extraordinary period, had made the long-promised animal welfare bill a top priority. But Guevara refused to negotiate and filed the motions that now need to be discussed and voted on by the full Assembly before moving forward with discussion and voting on the entire bill. But even getting the bill on the agenda for the new legislative session could prove elusive. The animal welfare bill was left out of the lawmakers’ agenda in an agreement reached last Sunday by eight opposition parties to maintain control over the Legislative Assembly’s Directorate. The new leader of the legislature, Antonio Álvarez Desanti from the National Liberation Party, said the bill was not made a priority in the new agenda because “it would have prevented us from reaching agreements with other parties,” he said.
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