In a unanimous vote, the House passed a bill on Tuesday that would make animal abuse a federal crime nationwide.
The bill, known as the Preventing Animal Cruelty And Torture (PACT) Act, seeks to criminalize numerous acts of animals cruelty, including “animal crushing” which is defined as “actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”
The bill does include exceptions, however, for “hunting, trapping, fishing, a sporting activity not otherwise prohibited by federal law,” including scientific research and pest control as well as cases where it’s “necessary to protect the life or property of a person.”
If signed into law, the bill would also make the creation and distribution of “animal crushing” videos illegal.
Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) introduced the bill earlier this year, reported The Hill.
“This bill sends a clear message that our society does not accept cruelty against animals. We’ve received support from so many Americans from across the country and across the political spectrum,” Deutch said, calling the bill’s passing “a significant milestone in the bipartisan quest to end animal abuse and protect our pets.”
“Animal rights activists have stood up for living things that do not have a voice,” he added.
Buchanan added that the “torture of innocent animals is abhorrent and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Passing the PACT Act sends a strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated. Protecting animals from cruelty is a top priority for me and I will continue to work with Congressman Deutch to get this important bill signed into law,” he said.
“This is a chance for our nation to end the most heinous forms of intentional animal cruelty. It is a historic moment in our country when we can come together to protect those who have no voice. We are so close to ushering in a law that would generate monumental shifts in how those who commit animal torture are prosecuted,” Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement, reported People magazine.
“Over the course of 30 years in animal protection, I have encountered terrible animal cruelties, but acts of intentional torture are the most disturbing because they demonstrate how some people treat the most vulnerable in our society” Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, said in a statement. “These malicious acts deserve federal scrutiny and action. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials will finally have the tools they need to bring those responsible for cruelty to animals to justice.”
