President Trump signed Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act on Monday
Animal cruelty now punishable by up to seven years in prison in US
‘For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality’
In a rare display of political unity, Donald Trump on Monday signed a bipartisan bill that, for the first time, makes acts of animal cruelty a federal crime punishable with fines and up to seven years in prison.
The bill, called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, was introduced in the house this year by two Florida lawmakers — representative Vern Buchanan, a Republican, and representative Ted Deutch, a Democrat. It expands a 2010 law signed by Barack Obama that banned videos that show animals being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or subjected to other forms of torture.
Now, intentional acts of cruelty shown in the videos are also felony offences.
“This is a very important bill and it’s an honour to be involved with it,” Mr Trump said at a signing ceremony Monday. “I’m glad we got it done.”
The bill was passed unanimously by a voice vote in the house in October. It was passed unanimously by the senate in November.
Mr Buchanan said that signing the bill “into law is a significant milestone for pet owners and animal lovers across the country.”
Federal law already bans sponsoring animal fights.
Laws in all 50 states already include felony provisions for animal cruelty. But the federal bill would help prosecutors address cases of abused animals that cross state lines, animal rights groups have said. It could also funnel more resources towards investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
The additional step of making acts of cruelty a crime “makes a statement about American values,” said Kitty Block, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States.
“The approval of this measure by the congress and the president marks a new era in the codification of kindness to animals within federal law,” she said.
“For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality.”
Chris Schindler, vice president of field services at the Humane Rescue Alliance, said in a statement Monday that the law would be particularly important in the District of Columbia, where cruelty cases often involve multiple jurisdictions and, on occasion, federal property.
In a rare display of political unity, Donald Trump on Monday signed a bipartisan bill that, for the first time, makes acts of animal cruelty a federal crime punishable with fines and up to seven years in prison.
The bill, called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, was introduced in the house this year by two Florida lawmakers — representative Vern Buchanan, a Republican, and representative Ted Deutch, a Democrat. It expands a 2010 law signed by Barack Obama that banned videos that show animals being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or subjected to other forms of torture.
Now, intentional acts of cruelty shown in the videos are also felony offences.
“This is a very important bill and it’s an honour to be involved with it,” Mr Trump said at a signing ceremony Monday. “I’m glad we got it done.”
The bill was passed unanimously by a voice vote in the house in October. It was passed unanimously by the senate in November.
Mr Buchanan said that signing the bill “into law is a significant milestone for pet owners and animal lovers across the country.”
Federal law already bans sponsoring animal fights.
Laws in all 50 states already include felony provisions for animal cruelty. But the federal bill would help prosecutors address cases of abused animals that cross state lines, animal rights groups have said. It could also funnel more resources towards investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
The additional step of making acts of cruelty a crime “makes a statement about American values,” said Kitty Block, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States.
“The approval of this measure by the congress and the president marks a new era in the codification of kindness to animals within federal law,” she said.
“For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality.”
Chris Schindler, vice president of field services at the Humane Rescue Alliance, said in a statement Monday that the law would be particularly important in the District of Columbia, where cruelty cases often involve multiple jurisdictions and, on occasion, federal property.
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