Legislation Making Animal Abuse A Federal Offense Moves Forward

WASHINGTON, DC — The House of Representatives passed legislation this week that would make animal abuse a federal offense.

The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Lee Zeldin, member of the bipartisan Animal Protection Caucus, would criminalize certain acts of animal cruelty.

In 2010, Congress passed the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which made the creation and distribution of animal crushing videos illegal, Zeldin said. However, the underlying acts of cruelty against animals were not included, he added; the PACT Act closes this loophole by prohibiting certain cases of animal abuse.

“This legislation sends a clear, unified message that our nation will not accept cruelty against animals and makes significant process in providing law enforcement officials with the authority they need to prevent it,” Zeldin said. “Whether it’s our four-legged family members or others like them calling Long Island home, protecting animals from torture and cruelty is and must continue to be bipartisan.”

According to a New York Times article, Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan said he believed the bill would likely become law. “This is a landmark bill that establishes for the first time a federal offense against the malicious torturing of animals. We are optimistic it will pass the Senate, which has already supported the bill in two previous sessions of Congress,” Buchanan told the NYT.