MA May Pass Bill to Enact Statewide Animal Abuser Registry - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To Massachusetts Representative Steven Howitt for introducing legislation that would create a statewide animal abuser registry.

Willful acts of violence and cruelty towards animals are among the most alarming crimes a human can commit. Not only do these acts cause death and suffering to untold numbers of animals, crimes of animal cruelty are one of the most reliable predictors of escalated violence towards humans. In response, many counties across America have enacted animal abusers to identify and track convicted animal cruelty offenders. At this writing, Tennessee is the only state with an active statewide registry of this kind.

Thanks to H. 1385, that may change. According to a recent news article, this new bill aims to establish a database or “registry” of all persons aged 18 years and older who have been convicted of an animal abuse crime in the state. The registry would be maintained by Massachusetts’ Department of Criminal Justice Information Services and would contain the name, current address, and photograph of offenders, along with the nature and date of their crimes. The bill also provides that pet stores, breeders, and animal shelters will be provided access to the registry and that they will be prohibited from providing an animal to any person listed on the registry. Convicted offenders would remain on the list for five years after a first offense and an additional five years following a subsequent offense.

Take action. Contact the Massachusett’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary and ask that all members support this crucial bill.