Good news animals! You now have better protection. The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed a new bill that will make acts of animal cruelty a federal crime.
Sometimes, people can be very evil with animals. They beat them, drown them, starve them, torture them, and get away with it. Now thankfully things are looking brighter for the future of animals’ safety.
The House recently passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. The Act was introduced in January by Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22) and Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16) to criminalize “gruesome” acts of animal cruelty. Such gruesome acts include burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling or otherwise injuring non-human mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians.
Back in 2010, Congress passed the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which criminalized the creation and distribution of “obscene” videos of animal abuse. The law, however, did not prohibit acts of cruelty toward animals themselves. The PACT Act eliminates this loophole by prohibiting any extreme cases of animal abuse that result in serious injury or death, whether or not it was captured on video.
Congressman Deutch said:
Today’s vote is a significant milestone in the bipartisan quest to end animal abuse and protect our pets. This bill sends a clear message that our society does not accept cruelty against animals. I’m deeply thankful for all of the advocates who helped us pass this bill, and I look forward to the Senate’s swift passage and the President’s signature.
The H.R. 724 bill was supported by both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress. The bill contains exceptions for normal veterinary care, hunting, and conduct necessary to protect life or property from a serious threat caused by an animal.
Deutch added:
We’ve received support from so many Americans from across the country and across the political spectrum. Animal rights activists have stood up for living things that do not have a voice. Law enforcement officers have sought a federal overlay to help them stop animal abusers who are likely to commit acts of violence against people. And animal lovers everywhere know this is simply the right thing to do.
Previously, the bill received unanimous bipartisan approval in the Senate twice. It even received more than 200 endorsements from law enforcement officials and nearly 300 House co-sponsors. Yet, both times it was blocked from reaching the floor by former Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia. Now, Goodlatte is no longer serving in Congress. Therefore, legislators are optimistic about the bill making its way through the Senate. “With the House passage of the PACT Act, we are one step closer to a federal law protecting animals from one of the most brutal acts of cruelty, and we thank Representatives Ted Deutch and Vern Buchanan for introducing this bill as well as their continued leadership on animal protection,” said Richard Patch, ASPCA’s vice president of federal affairs.
These brutal acts of cruelty reveal a person’s character. If someone can beat an animal to death just for fun, there is no saying they won’t beat a human to death for fun too. So if you see someone torturing an animal, you should consider either turning them in or running as far away from them as you possibly can… because you never know, you may be next in line.
