On Thursday, April 19, bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) to protect service animals and crack down on the misrepresentation of pets as service animals passed off the Senate Floor by a unanimous 67-0 vote. The bill, S.F. 2646, would make impersonating a service animal a petty misdemeanor with a $100 fine for the first offense and would jump to a misdemeanor for any subsequent offense.

“People may think that they’re doing no harm when they pretend that their dog a service animal. The reality of the issue is that their actions carry real consequences,” said Sen. Justin Eichorn. “When people misrepresent their animals, they damage the reputation and acceptance of valid service animals diminishing people with disabilities who truly need these animals to assist them. These fake service animals are also often untrained and cannot handle challenging public spaces, which creates safety concerns for true service animals, disabled people and customers alike.”

The amount of people misrepresenting pets as service animals has been growing for years. Across the nation, it’s not uncommon to hear stories of people claiming that their peacocks, rabbits, and kangaroos are service animals. In one case in Minnesota, an individual misrepresented her pet dog as a service animal to gain access to a restaurant only then see her dog attack and kill a disabled adult’s real service animal.

After passage in the House, the legislation will head to the Governor’s desk where he will have the opportunity to sign the bill into law and allow Minnesota to join a list of 20 states with similar protections for service animals and their disabled populations.