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Text: HF00102                           Text: HF00104
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House File 103

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  673.1  DEFINITIONS.
  1  2    1.  "Claim" means a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim,
  1  3 complaint, or cause of action recognized by the Iowa rules of
  1  4 civil procedure and brought in court on account of damage to
  1  5 or loss of property or on account of personal injury or death.
  1  6    2.  "Domesticated animal" means an animal commonly or
  1  7 customarily produced in this state for purposes of providing a
  1  8 product, including food, leather, fur, feathers, or fiber, or
  1  9 providing services related to transportation or agricultural
  1 10 production, which is any of the following:
  1 11    a.  A mammal belonging to a species within taxonomic
  1 12 families or genera, commonly referred to as bovine, caprine,
  1 13 equine, ovine, or porcine.
  1 14    b.  Poultry belonging to an order which is domesticated,
  1 15 including ducks, geese, swans, chickens, and turkeys, or an
  1 16 order which has a ratite sternum, including ostriches, rheas,
  1 17 and emus.
  1 18    c.  A mammal belonging to the taxonomic family cervidae and
  1 19 classified as part of the dama species of the dama genus, or
  1 20 part of the elaphus species of the cervus genus.
  1 21    d.  A mammal classified as a hopping lagomarphis within the
  1 22 taxonomic family leporidae.
  1 23    3.  "Domesticated animal activity" means any of the
  1 24 following:
  1 25    a.  Riding or driving a domesticated animal, whether
  1 26 mounted or unmounted.
  1 27    b.  Riding as a passenger on a vehicle powered by a
  1 28 domesticated animal.
  1 29    c.  Teaching or training a person to ride or drive a
  1 30 domesticated animal or a vehicle powered by a domesticated
  1 31 animal.
  1 32    d.  Participating in an activity sponsored by a
  1 33 domesticated animal activity sponsor.
  1 34    e.  Participating or assisting a participant in a
  1 35 domesticated animal event.
  2  1    f.  Managing or assisting in managing a domesticated animal
  2  2 in a domesticated animal event.
  2  3    g.  Inspecting or assisting an inspection of a domesticated
  2  4 animal for the purpose of purchase.
  2  5    h.  Providing hoof care including, but not limited to,
  2  6 horseshoeing.
  2  7    i.  Providing or assisting in providing veterinary care to
  2  8 a domesticated animal.
  2  9    j.  Boarding a domesticated animal.
  2 10    k.  Loading, hauling, or transporting a domesticated
  2 11 animal.
  2 12    l.  Breeding domesticated animals.
  2 13    m.  Participating in racing, including horse racing at a
  2 14 facility licensed for that purpose pursuant to chapter 99D.
  2 15    4.  "Domesticated animal activity sponsor" means a person
  2 16 who owns, organizes, manages, or provides facilities for a
  2 17 domesticated animal activity, including, but not limited to,
  2 18 any of the following:
  2 19    a.  Clubs involved in riding, hunting, competing, or
  2 20 performing.
  2 21    b.  A facility involved in horse racing and licensed
  2 22 pursuant to chapter 99D.
  2 23    c.  Youth clubs, including 4-H clubs.
  2 24    d.  Educational institutions.
  2 25    e.  Owners, operators, instructors, and promoters of a
  2 26 domesticated animal event or domesticated animal facility,
  2 27 including, but not limited to, stables, boarding facilities,
  2 28 clubhouses, rides, fairs, and arenas.
  2 29    f.  Breeding farms.
  2 30    g.  Training farms.
  2 31    5.  "Domesticated animal event" means an event in which a
  2 32 domesticated animal activity occurs, including, but not
  2 33 limited to, any of the following:
  2 34    a.  A fair.
  2 35    b.  A rodeo.
  3  1    c.  An exposition.
  3  2    d.  A show.
  3  3    e.  A competition.
  3  4    f.  A 4-H event.
  3  5    g.  A sporting event.
  3  6    h.  An event involving driving, pulling, or cutting.
  3  7    i.  Hunting.
  3  8    j.  An equine event or discipline including, but not
  3  9 limited to, dressage, a hunter or jumper show, polo,
  3 10 steeplechasing, English or western performance riding, a
  3 11 western game, or trail riding.
  3 12    6.  "Domesticated animal professional" means a person who
  3 13 receives compensation for engaging in a domesticated animal
  3 14 activity by doing one of the following:
  3 15    a.  Instructing a participant.
  3 16    b.  Renting the use of a domesticated animal to a
  3 17 participant for the purposes of riding, driving, or being a
  3 18 passenger on a domesticated animal or a vehicle powered by a
  3 19 domesticated animal.
  3 20    c.  Renting equipment or tack to a participant.
  3 21    7.  "Inherent risks of a domesticated animal activity"
  3 22 means a danger or condition which is an integral part of a
  3 23 domesticated animal activity, including, but not limited to,
  3 24 the following:
  3 25    a.  The propensity of a domesticated animal to behave in a
  3 26 manner that is reasonably foreseeable to result in damages to
  3 27 property, or injury or death to a person.
  3 28    b.  Risks generally associated with an activity which may
  3 29 include injuries caused by bucking, biting, stumbling,
  3 30 rearing, trampling, scratching, pecking, falling, or butting.
  3 31    c.  The unpredictable reaction by a domesticated animal to
  3 32 unfamiliar conditions, including, but not limited to, a sudden
  3 33 movement; loud noise; an unfamiliar environment; or the
  3 34 introduction of unfamiliar persons, animals, or objects.
  3 35    d.  A condition or treatment considered hazardous to the
  4  1 welfare of the domesticated animal.
  4  2    e.  A collision by the domesticated animal with an object
  4  3 or animal.
  4  4    f.  The failure of a participant to exercise reasonable
  4  5 care, take adequate precautions, or use adequate control when
  4  6 engaging in the activity, including failing to maintain
  4  7 reasonable control or failing to act in a manner consistent
  4  8 with the person's abilities.
  4  9    8.  "Participant" means a person who engages in a
  4 10 domesticated animal activity, regardless of whether the person
  4 11 receives compensation.  A participant does not include a
  4 12 person who is a spectator, unless the person is in immediate
  4 13 proximity to the activity involving a domesticated animal.
  4 14    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  673.2  LIABILITY.
  4 15    1.  Except as provided in this section, a participant
  4 16 assumes the inherent risks of engaging in a domesticated
  4 17 animal activity.  A person, including a domesticated animal
  4 18 professional or a domesticated animal activity sponsor, is not
  4 19 liable for the damages, injury, or death suffered by a
  4 20 participant resulting from the inherent risks of a
  4 21 domesticated animal activity.
  4 22    2.  Subsection 1 does not apply to the extent a claim is
  4 23 based on a defendant doing any of the following:
  4 24    a.  Providing a participant with equipment or tack if the
  4 25 defendant knew or reasonably should have known that the
  4 26 equipment or tack was defective or faulty.
  4 27    b.  Failing to make reasonable and prudent efforts to
  4 28 determine the participant's ability to safely manage a
  4 29 specific horse, based on the participant's representation of
  4 30 ability.
  4 31    c.  Failing to notify a participant of a known dangerous
  4 32 latent condition on real property in which the person holds an
  4 33 interest.  The notice may be made by posting a clearly visible
  4 34 warning sign on the property.
  4 35    d.  Committing an act or omission that is not consistent
  5  1 with the standard of care practiced by a person engaged in the
  5  2 same type of domesticated animal activity in the same
  5  3 locality, including a domesticated animal activity sponsor or
  5  4 a domesticated animal activity professional.
  5  5    e.  Committing an act that constitutes a willful or wanton
  5  6 disregard for the participant's safety.
  5  7    f.  Committing an act intentionally to cause damages,
  5  8 injury, or death.
  5  9    3.  Subsection 1 does not apply to the extent that a claim
  5 10 is based on a defect in the design, testing, manufacturing,
  5 11 formulation, packaging, warning, or labeling of a product.
  5 12    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  673.3  NOTICE REQUIRED.
  5 13    A domesticated animal professional shall post and maintain
  5 14 a sign on real property in which the professional holds an
  5 15 interest, if the professional conducts domesticated animal
  5 16 activities on the property.  The location of the sign may be
  5 17 near or on a stable, corral, or arena owned or controlled by
  5 18 the domesticated animal professional.  The sign must be
  5 19 clearly visible to a participant.  This section does not
  5 20 require a sign to be posted on a domesticated animal or a
  5 21 vehicle powered by a domesticated animal.  The notice shall
  5 22 appear in black letters a minimum of one inch high and in the
  5 23 following form:  
  5 24                             WARNING
  5 25    UNDER IOWA LAW, A DOMESTICATED ANIMAL PROFESSIONAL IS NOT
  5 26 LIABLE FOR DAMAGES SUFFERED BY, AN INJURY TO, OR THE DEATH OF
  5 27 A PARTICIPANT RESULTING FROM THE INHERENT RISKS OF
  5 28 DOMESTICATED ANIMAL ACTIVITIES, PURSUANT TO IOWA CODE CHAPTER
  5 29 673.  YOU ARE ASSUMING INHERENT RISKS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS
  5 30 DOMESTICATED ANIMAL ACTIVITY.
  5 31    If a written contract is executed between a domesticated
  5 32 animal professional and a participant involving domesticated
  5 33 animal activities, the contract shall contain the same notice
  5 34 in clearly readable print.  In addition, the contract shall
  5 35 include the following disclaimer:
  6  1    A number of inherent risks are associated with a
  6  2 domesticated animal activity.  A domesticated animal may
  6  3 behave in a manner that results in damages to property or an
  6  4 injury or death to a person.  Risks associated with the
  6  5 activity may include injuries caused by bucking, biting,
  6  6 stumbling, rearing, trampling, scratching, pecking, falling,
  6  7 or butting.
  6  8    The animal may act unpredictably to conditions, including,
  6  9 but not limited to, a sudden movement; loud noise; an
  6 10 unfamiliar environment; or the introduction of unfamiliar
  6 11 persons, animals, or objects.
  6 12    The animal may also react in a dangerous manner when a
  6 13 condition or treatment is considered hazardous to the welfare
  6 14 of the domesticated animal; a collision occurs with an object
  6 15 or animal; or a participant fails to exercise reasonable care,
  6 16 take adequate precautions, or use adequate control when
  6 17 engaging in a domesticated animal activity, including failing
  6 18 to maintain reasonable control of the animal or failing to act
  6 19 in a manner consistent with the person's abilities.  
  6 20                           EXPLANATION
  6 21    This bill limits the liability of persons involved with
  6 22 animals classified as domesticated animals, including
  6 23 livestock and certain exotic animals.  A person who
  6 24 participates in an activity involving a domesticated animal is
  6 25 barred from bringing a claim arising from inherent risks
  6 26 associated with the activity, including the propensity of a
  6 27 domesticated animal to behave in a manner that is reasonably
  6 28 foreseeable to result in injury or death to a person; the
  6 29 unpredictability of a domesticated animal's reaction to
  6 30 unfamiliar conditions; a condition or treatment considered
  6 31 hazardous to the welfare of the domesticated animal; a
  6 32 collision with an object or animal; or the failure of a
  6 33 participant to exercise reasonable care, take adequate
  6 34 precautions, or use adequate control when engaging in an
  6 35 activity involving the domesticated animal.
  7  1    The bill does provide that a person may bring a claim based
  7  2 on damages, injury, or death arising from special
  7  3 circumstances, including the receipt of faulty equipment or
  7  4 tack; a person's failure to make reasonable and prudent
  7  5 efforts to determine the participant's ability to safely
  7  6 manage a specific animal; the failure of a person to notify a
  7  7 participant of a known dangerous latent condition on property
  7  8 owned or controlled by a person; the commission of an act that
  7  9 constitutes a willful or wanton disregard for the
  7 10 participant's safety; the commission of an act to
  7 11 intentionally cause damages, injury, or death; the commission
  7 12 of an act or omission that is not consistent with the
  7 13 standards of care practiced by a person engaged in the same
  7 14 type of activity; or a defect in the design, testing,
  7 15 manufacturing, formulation, packaging, warning, or labeling of
  7 16 a product.
  7 17    The bill also requires that a domesticated animal
  7 18 professional must provide notice that the professional is not
  7 19 liable for damages, an injury to, or the death of a person
  7 20 which results from the inherent risks of activities associated
  7 21 with the domesticated animal.  A domesticated animal
  7 22 professional is a person involved in instructing a
  7 23 participant, renting the use of a domesticated animal, or
  7 24 renting the use of equipment or tack relating to a
  7 25 domesticated animal activity.  
  7 26 LSB 1608HH 76
  7 27 da/jw/5
     

Text: HF00102                           Text: HF00104
Text: HF00100 - HF00199                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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