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People say that US has never been more divided in terms of politics. Yet when it comes to animal cruelty, every lawmaker is in agreement.

Every single day, the news tells us that American politics are at their lowest ebbs.

And yes, there is a lot of disagreement between people. But it’s also important to remember that there are more things that unite us than divide us.

The passing of a recent bill in the House of Representatives really shows that people can still reach agreements.

The bill in question is the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT.) And it sounds just like what it is. Now if anyone in the US is cruel to animals, they are guilty of a federal crime.

Specifically, the new bill makes it illegal for a person to knowingly torture or engage in acts of cruelty towards non-human mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Anyone who is accused of committing an act of animal cruelty or abuse as outlined in the bill faces becoming a felon. If convicted, they face up to 7 years of prison time and hefty fines to deal with.

The origin of this bill is some similar existing legislation that makes it a crime for people to film or distribute videos of animal cruelty.

There was one major flaw in this earlier legislation. While the filming and distribution of animal cruelty were a crime, committing acts of cruelty wasn’t.

When the new bill went up for a vote in the House of Representatives in October, it received the support of every single voting congressperson.

It may sound obvious that a bill banning cruelty to animals would get 100% of an elective chamber’s support, but it isn’t when it’s put into context.

Many seemingly common-sense laws in the USA are prevented from being enacted due to a vocal minority of people who oppose them.

But this time, lobbyists for industries that would be harmed by stricter animal welfare laws were not successful. In fact, they couldn’t garner a single vote in their favor.

This bill couldn’t have been more bipartisan.

To illustrate just how uniting the PACT bill could be, two members of congress who are from the same state but different parties introduced it. They were Democrat Ted Deutch and Republican Vern Buchanan of Florida.

Deutch spoke for the entire House of Representatives when he said the following: “This bill sends a clear message that our society does not accept cruelty against animals. We’ve received support from so many Americans across the country and across the political spectrum.”

If this law leads to the prevention of harm to even just one animal, then it will be worth it.

Another important thing to consider is that this law may cause other countries to form stricter animal cruelty laws. Many nations look up to America and try to emulate the values that have caused it to become such a successful nation. If America becomes known as a country that has respect for the rights of animals, then other nations will follow suit.

And if the country can unite on the issue of animal cruelty, then surely it can unite on other pressing issues?

Lawmakers around the country should take PACT as an example of how to put differences aside and create laws that make the world a better place.

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Source: USA Today