New law finally makes animal cruelty a felony nationwide
On Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, the bipartisan Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act was signed into law and took effect immediately, making cruelty to animals federally illegal.
Now, anyone who violates the act – which outlaws purposeful crushing, burning, drowning, suffocation, impalement, or other violence causing “serious bodily injury” to “living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians” – can be federally prosecuted, fined, and jailed for up to seven years.
The goal of the new federal legislation is to fill gaps in the law.
The U.S. has already made animal fighting as well as making and sharing videos of animal cruelty illegal, and many individual states have already enacted laws to prosecute those who are violent towards animals. But without a federal ban, it was hard to prosecute some individuals (such as those in airports or on military bases or operating between states). But not anymore.
According to the New York Times: “The bill was passed unanimously by a voice vote in the House in October. It was passed unanimously by the Senate in November and went into effect on Monday [November 25th].”
The Internet was one of the key drivers of the new law, introduced by Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.). It builds on a 2010 law addressing “crush” videos – gory scenes of small animals such as kittens, bunnies, or mice being crushed and stomped under shoes.
Because the nauseating videos were shared online and between jurisdictions, it was hard to prosecute those making and sharing them up until this point.
“The torture of innocent animals is abhorrent and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Buchanan said in a statement before the signing ceremony. “Signing this bill into law is a significant milestone for pet owners and animal lovers across the country.”
Lawmakers hope that the ability to prosecute those who are violent towards animals will help curb crime towards humans as well since many violent offenders start off as animal abusers. According to USA Today, the National Sheriffs’ Association and Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the act, “citing a ‘documented connection’ between animal cruelty and other violent crimes.”
“It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society,” the President said as he signed the bill.
But there are some that argue the law does not go far enough even though it’s a step in the right direction.
For example, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has warned that the Pact Act does not necessarily cover actions that cause less than “serious bodily harm.” In these cases, punching an animal, for example, might not be a prosecutable offense.
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 continued. “For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality.”
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Source: Congress.gov, USA Today, The New York Times