A new bill is set to make animal cruelty a felony across the United States.
The law will be highly useful in punishing the people who have cruel behavior toward animals but escape punishment due to existing loopholes. Most importantly, the new law will be applicable irrespective of state limits.
The bipartisan bill was proposed by Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan and Democrat Ted Deutch. Both of the politicians are from Florida.
According to CNN, The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture or PACT Act will close the loose ends and minimize the chances of getting away with animal cruelty.
Even though a number of animal laws are already in place in most of the states but the loopholes in them can easily be exploited.
Currently, one federal law is in place which prohibits animal fights as well as filming the act. The PACT Act will further increase the scope of the law, the legislators say.
As of now, if an act of cruelty is committed toward the animals, say an animal is tortured, nothing can be done once the offender crosses state borders.
If PACT Act becomes a law, the concerned authorities would have jurisdiction all over the country and will be able to go beyond the boundaries of states to make the offenders answerable for their deeds.
The PACT Act has a number of provisions and can make offenders answerable for crimes like crushing, burning, suffocating or drowning animals as well as for sexually exploiting them. The PACT Act has provisions for heavy fines and up to 7 years imprisonment, depending on the nature of the offense.
According to a press release from Buchannan’s office, “…while Congress passed legislation in 2010 to prohibit the creation and distribution of these horrific videos, the underlying acts themselves are still legal under federal law.
“Buchanan’s legislation will close those loopholes by prohibiting the underlying acts of torture themselves, regardless of whether or not a video is created.
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“Specifically, the PACT Act will amend the federal criminal code to prohibit the intentional acts of crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling or otherwise subjecting animals to serious bodily harm.
“Those convicted would face federal felony charges, fines and up to seven years in prison.”
According to the same press release, Buchannan said: “The torture of innocent animals is abhorrent and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
“Protecting animals from cruelty is a top priority for me and I look forward to working with Congressman Deutch on this important issue.”
Deutch, the other legislator involved in proposing the new law, said: “This is commonsense, bipartisan legislation to bring some compassion to our animal laws.
“We’ve acted in the past to stop the horrific trend of animal abuse videos; now it’s time to make the underlying acts of cruelty a crime as well.”
The new law also has some exceptions, such as in the case of hunting, essential veterinary-medical care and acts undertaken to protect property or life from threats from animals.
The bill has already been endorsed by Fraternal Order of Police and The National Sheriffs Association.
President of Humane Society Legislative Fund, Sara Amundson, said: “Decades ago the Federal Bureau of Investigation recognized the seriousness of animal cruelty and its link to escalating violence toward humans.
“Representatives Deutch and Buchanan are tremendous advocates for animal protection, and we are grateful to them for seeking to eradicate malicious cruelty.”