Animal Cruelty Could Become A Federal Felony

Under a new bill that is being proposed, malicious animal cruelty would be a felony.

CBS News reports that two members of the U.S. House of Representatives re-introduced a bill to make animal cruelty a federal felony. If the bill passes, a person convicted of animal cruelty could face a fine, seven years in prison, or both.

The bill is called Preventing Animal Cruel and Torture (PACT) Act, according to CBS News. If passed, this bill would criminalize crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling animals. The bill also covers bestiality and ways of sexually exploiting animals. The bill does have exceptions for hunting, veterinary purposes, and measures taken to prevent life or property from an animal.

The two representatives sponsoring the bill are Democrat Ted Deutch and Republican Vern Buchanan. When the bill was originally introduced, it had 284 bipartisan co-sponsors and endorsement from hundreds of law enforcement personnel, according to CBS News. However, the previous Judiciary Committee Chairman, Republican Bob Goodlatte, kept it from coming to a vote on the floor.