Trump Signs Animal Cruelty Bill into Law

Credit: WCPO Cincinnati

Animal cruelty is officially a federal felony.

The bipartisan bill, called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, now criminalizes certain acts of animal cruelty. It is a major victory in making “communities safer” and stopping animal cruelty, according to Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

“Evidence shows that the deranged individuals who harm animals often move on to committing acts of violence against people. It is appropriate that the federal government have strong animal cruelty laws and penalties,” Sen. Toomey said.

The PACT Act is an expansion on the 2010 Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which made the creation and distribution of “animal crushing” videos illegal.

President Trump said he was “pleased” to approve the legislation and the move has been praised by the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Kitty Block, as well as the head of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Sara Amundson.

It has been a long road to protecting animals, and as Block states, “[I]t’s so gratifying the Congress and president unanimously agreed that it was time to close the gap in the law and make malicious animal cruelty within federal jurisdiction a felony.”

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