Trump signs bill making animal cruelty a federal felony

                                                  

                                             Image Courtesy PrintSilhouette
                                                                   
President Donald Trump has endorsed a bill that makes certain acts of animal cruelty a federal felony, saying it's important for the nation to combat "heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty."

The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act [PACT] prohibits extreme acts of cruelty when they occur in interstate commerce or on federal property. 
The bill was passed and supported by the Senate harmoniously  on Nov. 5.  After Senate approval, the bill was sent to the president's desk for signature.

"Passing this legislation is a major victory in the effort to stop animal cruelty and make our communities safer," Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said earlier this month when the bill, which Toomey sponsored along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., passed in the Senate. "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."

The remarkable law was also lauded by the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Kitty Block, and the head of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Sara Amundson.

"PACT makes a statement about American values. Animals are deserving of protection at the highest level," Block said in a statement. "The approval of this measure by the Congress and the president marks a new era in the codification of kindness to animals within federal law. For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality."

"After decades of work to protect animals and bearing witness to some of the worst cruelty, it’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," Amundson said. "We cannot change the horrors of what animals have endured in the past, but we can crack down on these crimes moving forward. This is a day to celebrate."