FELONY ANIMAL-TORTURE BILL PASSES IN UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FELONY ANIMAL-TORTURE BILL PASSES IN UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
In today's session of the Utah State Legislature, the House of Representatives this afternoon passed HB 61, "Criminal Penalty for Animal Cruelty," by a 48 to 24 vote, and the bill will now move onto the Senate 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.
"We're immensely gratified by this latest advance in the progress of HB 61," 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. Public support for this bill has been overwhelming so far, and we're urging the community not to become complacent at this point. We're asking everyone who cares about this issue to go to our website, www.utahhumane.org, for information about how simple it is for them to contact their senators and speak in favor of this vital piece of legislation."
By means of attention-getting billboards all along the Wasatch Front and its own website, the Humane Society is educating the public about the seriousness of animal torture and encouraging the public to petition legislators to support HB 61. "We hope that they'll make their support equally obvious to their Senators now that it's in that branch of the Legislature," said Mr. Baierschmidt.
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