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Loretta Park
Animal rights activist Anne Davis cried tears of joy when the House approved Senate Bill 297 on Tuesday.
Sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, the bill makes cruelty to a companion animal a third-degree felony, which carries with it a sentence of up to five years in the Utah State Prison on conviction.
The House vote was 62-6. The bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration of House amendments.
The bill defines torture as "intentionally or knowingly causing or inflicting extreme physical pain to an animal in an especially heinous, atrocious, cruel or exceptionally depraved manner." It also defines companion animals as dogs or cats.
Davis, with the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah, said two-thirds of Utahns either own a dog or cat "and they are like family members."
Gene Baireschmidt, of the Humane Society of Utah, said the bill "is a landmark piece of legislation. It clearly sends a message: if you torture a dog or cat, you will face serious penalties."
The bill also puts Utah more in line with the rest of the country, Baireschmidt said.
Christensen's bill is very close to House Bill 470, sponsored by Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful. Her bill passed the House last week on a vote of 61-6. It is in the Senate for further consideration, but lawmakers doubt it will be voted on before the session ends.
SB 297
Sponsored by: Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden
Animal Torture and Cruelty Amendments -- This bill would amend provisions of the Utah Criminal Code relating to animal cruelty. |
