11-26-2019, 02:04 PM
at least right now.
Trump signs bipartisan federal animal cruelty bill into law
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill into law that makes animal cruelty a federal crime.
The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which unanimously passed both Congress earlier this month and the House in October, revises and expands upon an earlier bill against making and distributing videos of animal cruelty.
The bill now criminalizes the crushing, drowning, suffocating, impaling and seriously harming of animals and punishes those convicted with fines and up to seven years in prison.
"It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society," Trump said Monday at the White House before signing the bill.
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressmen Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla., builds on the previous Obama-era law that prohibits the creation and distribution of so-called animal crush videos by criminalizing the acts being filmed.
The Humane Society of the United States said the new law closes a "glaring loophole" that prevented federal law enforcement from taking legal action against those who commit animal cruelty within federal jurisdiction unless the crime was recorded.
"Now, as a result of this law, federal law enforcement and prosecutors will have recourse when the crimes occur on federal property, such as national parks or federal prisons, or in interstate commerce, regardless of whether a video was produced," said Humane Society President Kitty Block and the organization's legislative fund President Sara Amundson in a joint statement.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/11/...5050/?tt=1
Trump signs bipartisan federal animal cruelty bill into law
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill into law that makes animal cruelty a federal crime.
The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which unanimously passed both Congress earlier this month and the House in October, revises and expands upon an earlier bill against making and distributing videos of animal cruelty.
The bill now criminalizes the crushing, drowning, suffocating, impaling and seriously harming of animals and punishes those convicted with fines and up to seven years in prison.
"It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society," Trump said Monday at the White House before signing the bill.
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressmen Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla., builds on the previous Obama-era law that prohibits the creation and distribution of so-called animal crush videos by criminalizing the acts being filmed.
The Humane Society of the United States said the new law closes a "glaring loophole" that prevented federal law enforcement from taking legal action against those who commit animal cruelty within federal jurisdiction unless the crime was recorded.
"Now, as a result of this law, federal law enforcement and prosecutors will have recourse when the crimes occur on federal property, such as national parks or federal prisons, or in interstate commerce, regardless of whether a video was produced," said Humane Society President Kitty Block and the organization's legislative fund President Sara Amundson in a joint statement.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/11/...5050/?tt=1