TUCSON, Ariz. — Local animal rescue organizations are reacting to a recent bill proposed by two Florida congressmen that would make animal cruelty a federal felony.
The new bill is called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act or PACT Act and it would charge anyone who takes part in crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating or doing any other kind of serious bodily injury to an animal with a federal felony.
Related: Florida congressmen's bill would make animal cruelty a federal felony
KGUN9 spoke to a local horse rescue group and an animal care center who said they support this bill.
One stand out part of this bill for horse rescue group Heart of Tucson is it would help deal with people who commit some type of animal abuse and then cross state lines.
"We would be able to see that more people would not be re offending in the animal cruelty area. We have a lot of people that end up coming across that we've already had their animals seized and their doing the same thing a year or two later," said Cindy Butierez with Heart of Tucson.
Butierez says nearly all of the horses that are at the organization's stable were rescued from an animal abuse or neglect situation, so for them, this bill would really help close the gap on what state abuse and neglect laws can't help to fix.
The PACT Act would carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if someone is found guilty.
There are several national organizations already supporting this bill, including the Humane Society, and the National Sheriff's Association.
Do you support the proposed PACT Act? Let us know on KGUN9's Facebook page in the post below.
