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Proposal Toughens Penalties in Traffic and Criminal Sphere for Those Using Vehicles in Animal Abandonment, Bringing Together Different Projects and Advancing in Chamber Committees While Entities Push for Stricter Changes.
The Chamber of Deputies is discussing a proposal that toughens penalties for those using vehicles in animal abandonment, providing for imprisonment of up to five years, fines, and severe traffic penalties, such as suspension or revocation of the National Driver’s License.
The text gathers different projects on the subject and seeks to transform the practice into an extremely serious infraction in the Brazilian Traffic Code, in addition to reinforcing criminal classification for mistreatment.
The initiative gained momentum throughout 2024 and 2025, when lawmakers linked to animal causes began to advocate for stricter treatment of drivers and passengers involved in the abandonment of dogs and cats on public roads.
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The proposal remains under discussion in the Chamber committees and coordinates simultaneous changes in the Traffic Code and environmental legislation.
Harsher Penalties in Traffic
The text under discussion characterizes abandonment carried out using a vehicle as an extremely serious traffic infraction, with immediate application of fines and revocation of the driver’s license.
The most recent substitute, analyzed by the Commission on Transportation and Roads in April 2025, also provides for suspension of the right to drive for twelve months, extended to eighteen months when it involves dogs and cats.
In addition to the driver, passengers who participate in the action or fail to prevent the abandonment can also be held liable.
The idea is to establish shared responsibility among all vehicle occupants, creating a clearer mechanism for the action of traffic authorities.
Meanwhile, in the criminal sphere, the practice can be classified as mistreatment under the Environmental Crimes Law, whose penalty for dogs and cats was increased in 2020 to imprisonment of two to five years, in addition to fines and prohibition from keeping animals.
The proposal being discussed in Congress does not change this penalty but seeks to facilitate accountability when abandonment is facilitated by the vehicle.
Origin of Projects and Unification of the Proposal
The legislative path began in February 2024, with the presentation of the Bill 25/2024, authored by Deputy Delegado Matheus Laiola.
The original version directly provided for the revocation of the Driver’s License of the driver involved in the abandonment and proposed amending Article 263 of the Traffic Code to include the conduct as one of the cases for permanent loss of the license.
As the debate advanced, three other proposals on the same subject were added: Bill 236/2024, Bill 257/2024, and Bill 951/2024.
To expedite the proceedings and avoid regulatory duplication, the rapporteur in the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, Deputy Nilto Tatto, presented a unified substitute in July 2024.
This consolidated text transformed abandonment into an extremely serious infraction and reinforced the connection with the criminal penalty provided in the Sansão Law, approved in 2020.
The Environment and Sustainable Development Committee approved this report in October 2024, paving the way for debate in the subsequent committees.
In 2025, the project moved to the Commission on Transportation and Roads, where it received a new draft under the rapporteurship of Deputy Ricardo Ayres.
The analysis resulted in technical adjustments, detailing of administrative penalties, and explicit provision for suspension of the right to drive, an alternative applied when revocation is not legally appropriate.
Progress of the Proposal in the Chamber in 2025
After approval in the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee and the Commission on Transportation and Roads, the proposal reached the Commission on Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship in May 2025.
The rapporteur maintained the general structure of the text coming from the Commission on Transportation and Roads, adding adjustments for constitutionality and legislative technique.
Since then, the project has been awaiting inclusion on the agenda of the Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship Committee for final deliberation before moving to the Chamber floor.
In October 2025, lawmakers submitted an urgency request to expedite the vote, but the analysis has yet to be concluded.
Thus, the text remains in the committee phase, with no submission to the Senate.
Even without a final vote, the debate has gained traction among animal protection entities, who point to abandonment as one of the most persistent problems in Brazilian cities.
Estimates released by organizations in the sector mention tens of millions of dogs and cats in abandonment situations, a number that reinforces the pressure for legislative changes.
Expected Impacts and Challenges in Implementation
The proposal seeks to fill a frequent gap in enforcement: although there are criminal penalties for mistreatment, there is not always a clear provision that allows for categorization of abandonment carried out with the aid of a vehicle.
The creation of a specific infraction in the Traffic Code would facilitate the action of traffic agents and expand the possibility of administrative punishment.
At the same time, proponents of the project argue that the provision for suspension or revocation of the Driver’s License has an educational aspect and can discourage common practices, such as leaving animals on roads or in isolated areas.
On the other hand, experts remind that effectiveness will depend on both the capacity for enforcement and the dissemination of the new rules among drivers.
With the matter still under discussion and under strong social pressure, the Chamber continues to evaluate the different versions of the text.
The expectation is that defining the penalties will help reduce cases of abandonment, but the central question remains: Will the new penalties be sufficient to change the behavior of offenders and decrease the number of animals left on the streets?
E adoraram mais a criatura que o criador! Bíblia….
Pessoas que abandonam animais deveriam, entre outras penalidades, ser açoitadas com arame farpado em praça pública, e ter pelo menos metade dos bens confiscados em prol da causa ****.
10 anos de prisão ainda é pouco