What are the exact statutory texts and effective dates of bestiality laws enacted in New Jersey (2015), Texas (2017), New Mexico (2023), Connecticut (2023), and D.C. (2023)?
Executive summary
Five jurisdictions—New Jersey, Texas, New Mexico, Connecticut and the District of Columbia—moved in recent years to close statutory gaps criminalizing sexual contact with animals; sources in the record confirm the years each jurisdiction enacted or amended laws (New Jersey 2015; Texas 2017; New Mexico 2023; Connecticut 2023; D.C. 2023) but the provided reporting does not contain the full verbatim statutory texts, only contemporaneous summaries and legislative characterizations [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. New Jersey : closing a loophole, law signed November 2015
Reporting shows New Jersey’s governor signed legislation in November 2015 that “criminaliz[ed] bestiality” to close a prosecutorial loophole and subject offenders to penalties under the cruelty code; contemporaneous news accounts mark the enactment as November 9, 2015 [1] [6]. The state statutory consolidation and later annotations show amendments to the cruelty provisions including a 2015 chapter citation (c.133) in the New Jersey Revised Statutes [7] [8]. The sources summarize the change and penalties in news reports but do not provide the verbatim statutory subsection language in the provided record [1] [9]; therefore the exact statutory text and the precise statutory subsection numbers are not available in the supplied materials [7].
2. Texas : a comprehensive bestiality statute enacted in 2017
Authoritative secondary tables and advocacy analyses identify Texas as having enacted a “comprehensive bestiality law” in 2017, with later legislative changes in 2021 and 2023 that broadened post‑conviction animal‑possession bans tied to animal cruelty convictions [2] [4]. The Animal Legal Defense Fund commentary traces this history: the 2017 statute criminalized bestiality (initially with limited possessory restrictions), 2021 expanded coverage to additional cruelty offenses, and 2023 strengthened mandatory possession‑bans for convicted offenders [4]. The supplied sources describe the statute’s function and successive amendments but do not quote the Texas Penal Code’s exact clause text in full [2] [4].
3. New Mexico : felony criminalization and possession bans enacted
Multiple contemporaneous reports show New Mexico’s Legislature passed SB 215 (and related measures) in 2023 to make bestiality a criminal offense—reported as a fourth‑degree felony for committing, coercing, promoting, selling or possessing an animal for the purpose of sexual conduct—with enhanced penalties where minors are involved and court-ordered animal‑possession prohibitions of three to 15 years [3] [10]. News accounts and advocacy recaps state the Legislature adopted the law in early March 2023 and that the bill’s proponents framed the change as closing one of the last statutory gaps in the country [3] [10]. The exact statutory wording as enacted was summarized in reporting, but the full statutory text is not reproduced among the provided sources [3] [10].
4. Connecticut : new “sexual assault against an animal” crime and mandatory possession restrictions effective Oct. 1, 2023
Policy summaries and legal analyses document Connecticut’s 2023 enactment—HB 6714—creating the new crime described as “sexual assault against an animal,” adding mandatory post‑conviction prohibitions on possessing or working with animals for five years from conviction or release, and imposing veterinarian reporting duties; the effective date in the analysis is October 1, 2023 [4]. The Animal Legal Defense Fund piece explicitly states the new crime and the five‑year possession ban with that effective date [4]. The supplied reporting describes these substantive changes but does not provide verbatim statutory paragraphs in the included excerpts [4].
5. District of Columbia : first-time criminalization reported in 2023
Advocacy reporting that catalogs state and local developments indicates the District of Columbia enacted a law in 2023 criminalizing sexual assault of animals for the first time in its local code, joining states that closed earlier gaps [5]. The summary declares New Mexico and D.C. enacted prohibitions in 2023, but the provided material does not reproduce the D.C. code text or list the exact effective date or statutory subsection language [5]. Consequently, while enactment in 2023 is supported by the reporting, the verbatim statutory text for D.C. is not contained in the supplied sources [5].
Concluding note on sources and limits: the documents supplied reliably establish the enactment years and summarize major provisions—penalty classes, possession bans, and effective dates where reported (for Connecticut Oct. 1, 2023; New Jersey signing Nov. 9, 2015)—but do not include the full, exact statutory texts for each jurisdiction in the excerpts provided; to supply the verbatim statutory language and precise code citations would require consulting the official state codes or legislative texts beyond these summaries [1] [7] [4] [3] [5].