House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Make Animal Cruelty a Federal Crime

Outlawing Animal Cruelty

Both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed a bill outlawing animal cruelty. The bill is called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, or the PACT Act for short. (1, 2)

The PACT Act will fill in gaping holes in national law. While the 2010 Animals Crush Video Prohibition Act took steps toward making animal cruelty illegal, its scope was not wide enough. The 2010 act focused on prohibiting the creation and distribution of videos showing animal fighting and abuse. However, it did not outlaw animal abuse itself. (1, 3)

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Bipartisan Support

The PACT Act is a bipartisan effort. In the House, it was co-sponsored by Representatives Ted Deutch, Democrat of Florida, and Vern Buchanan, Republican of Florida. Their goal was to build on the 2010 act, which was created in response to the “crush” video genre, which often showed small animals getting stomped on. While the 2010 act made creating and depicting videos of animal cruelty a crime, it didn’t criminalize the actual acts of cruelty toward animals. (1, 3)

According to a release from Representatives Deutch and Buchanan, the PACT Act would make it illegal for animals to be “intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury”. Violators could be fined or receive up to seven years in prison. (1, 3)

Once the PACT Act passed in the House, it moved on to the Senate. There, it was co-sponsored by Senator Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. (2)

What Americans Want

According to Kitty Block, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, all states have provisions against cruelty toward animals. But it can be challenging to prosecute animal abuse cases that stretch over multiple jurisdictions. The same is true for animal cruelty that occurs in airports, military bases, and other places with federal oversight. (1)

“This really is something that should pass,” Block told The Washington Post. “It’s not controversial. It’s what the American people want.” (1)

The PACT Act would not apply to people who hunt, trap, or fish. Neither would it apply to people who slaughter animals for food. The bill won’t interfere with state or local animal cruelty laws or their enforcement. (2, 3)

One More Hurdle

In a release from his office after the bill passed in the House, Representative Deutch said, “This bill sends a clear message that our society does not accept cruelty against animals.” (4)

The same release, Representative Bucanan was quoted as saying, “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.” (4)

Now that the bill has passed in Congress, President Trump will choose whether or not to sign it into law. Kitty Block and Sara Amundson, president of the organization’s legislative fund, published a joint blog post after the PACT Act passed in the Senate. They urged the President to sign the bill. (2, 5)

“The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk and we hope he will quickly sign it into law,” they wrote, adding, “The sooner we can bring those who commit unspeakable acts of violence against innocent animals to justice, the safer our world will be for everyone.” (5)

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