Dangerous dog bill not gaining traction, so far, in state House

An Oʻahu representative in the state House has introduced a bill to increase penalties for owners of dangerous dogs, but the measure has not gained traction in two House committee referrals.

House Bill 634, introduced by Rep. Elijah Pierick, a Republican representing Royal Kunia, Village Park, Honouliuli, Ho‘opili, and Portion of Waipahu, would provide stiffer penalties for dog owners’ negligence caused bodily injuries from unprovoked dangerous dog bites.

In response to an email query about the bill from Maui Now, Pierick, the minority party whip, said the measure was drafted at the request of the family of a man who was mauled by a dog and later died of his injuries.

Pierick quoted a family member as saying about the bill: “While it can’t bring my father back, it can prevent future tragedies and provide peace to our family. This legislation is not just about dangerous dogs, but about holding negligent people accountable to keep our communities safer.”

The representative said his office has also received many complaints from constituents about dog attacks while walking in their neighborhoods or hiking.

“A lot of complaints (are) from people in Ewa and just recently a young boy, age 8, just died from a dog attack,” Pierick said.

The bill outlines the different penalties for dog attacks, what must be done and what the sentence would be depending on attack, he said.

House Bill 634 has been referred to the House Finance and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs committees, chaired respectively by Upcountry Rep. Kyle Yamashita and David Tarnas of Hawaiʻi Island.

If the bill isn’t heard by the Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee by next week Thursday, it will be dead this session, Pierick said.

To recover for a dog bite injury in Hawaiʻi, the victim must prove the owner’s knowledge of wrongdoing, negligence or intentional injury, as in any other one bite state, he said.

In 2020, 19 mail carriers were bitten by dogs in Hawaiʻi, including one each in Kahului, Wailuku and Makawao. In June 2014, a female hiker reported being bitten and suffering puncture wounds from an aggressive pit bull dog on the Waiheʻe Ridge Trail above Camp Maluhia. And, in August 2023, Hawaiʻi Island police reported investigating the death of a man who suffered injuries in a dog attack Kaʻū District.