INDIANAPOLIS | Legislation to outlaw sex with animals is on its way to the governor.
The recent parole of a man convicted of sexually assaulting and killing a chicken in a Valparaiso motel room sparked the move to make bestiality a distinct crime in Indiana.
Michael Bessigano, 36, received a 10.5-year prison sentence after admitting he stole a farm chicken in May 2001 and took it to a U.S. 30 motel, where he killed the animal while having sex with it.
Bessigano had a history of arrests involving alleged abuse or theft of dogs, geese and a rooster, all of which helped prosecutors secure a maximum sentence for animal cruelty. But prosecutors couldn't charge Bessigano with bestiality.
"For some reason in the recodification -- and no one seems to know why -- in 1977, the offense of bestiality was left off our criminal code," said state Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond.
Lawson sponsored House Bill 1387, which would make a sex act with an animal a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year behind bars and a maximum fine of $5,000. The crime becomes a felony punishable by up to three yeas in prison if the animal "suffers extreme pain or death."
The House voted 85-0 Wednesday to accept minor changes made to the legislation by the Senate. It's now up to Gov. Mitch Daniels to sign or veto the bill.
NIRPC bill advances
The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission is just a step away from ensuring it gets paid on time.
The House voted 87-0 Thursday to agree with slight revisions the Senate made to House Bill 1595. The legislation, which still must be signed by the governor, would encourage Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties to pay their annual NIRPC dues from income taxes or riverboat casino cash -- anything other than property taxes, which have been slow to arrive in recent years.
"Anything that takes away real estate tax as a method of paying for things has got to be good to me," state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, said in encouraging colleagues to support the measure.
If a county wants to stick with property taxes, it would have to document NIRPC's levy on property tax bills, and NIRPC would be allowed to borrow to cover cash flow.
The legislation also would expand NIRPC's executive board from eight to 11 members, giving each county an additional seat.
