The Utah House Natural Resources, Agricultural and Environment Committee this morning passed HB 61, "Criminal Penalty for Animal Cruelty," by a 12 to 1 vote, and the bill will now move onto the House floor for debate. HB 61 would make intentional torture of an animal a third-degree felony offense, as it already is in 41 other states, and would also require the court to recommend psychological counseling for convicted offenders and, if not, state why such recommendation was not made.

"Even though this is only the first of many steps necessary in the legislative process to get a bill passed into law, proponents of HB 61 consider this an important victory because of the overwhelming majority by which the Committee approved the action," said Humane Society of Utah Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt. "Our culture is becoming increasingly aware that people who take pleasure in torturing any living being less competent than the aggressor to defend itself are capable of dealing with other people in the same manner, too. There’s just something Neanderthal about anybody who thinks the sight of an animal in terrible pain is amusing."

By means of attention-getting billboards all along the Wasatch Front and its own website, www.utahhumane.org, the Humane Society is urging the public to petition legislators to support HB 61. "Judging from the flood of favorable commentary that the House Committee received for this bill, I would say this is definitely something that the people of Utah want to see become law," said Mr. Baierschmidt. "We hope that they’ll make their support equally obvious to their Representatives now that it’s in the House.