There is unfortunately a history of animal cruelty cases not being taken seriously in the justice system. But lately there’s been some good news. Recently, the governor of Virginia signed Tommie’s Law, making animal cruelty a felony in the state. Now, North Carolina appears to also be making attempts to take animal cruelty more seriously. Last week, senators Floyd McKissick and Danny Britt introduced the North Carolina Animal Abuser Registry Act, a bill that calls for an online registry of convicted animal abusers similar to the online registries of sex offenders.

The online registry would include a photo of the offender with their full name and identifying information. First time offenders would be placed on the list for two years then removed. If they commit another offense, they’ll be placed on the registry for five years and they’d have to forfeit any animals they have. They also would be prohibited from owning an animal for up to five years.

Senator McKissick said the goal is to prevent animal cruelty in the first place: “There’s been increasing instances of animal abuse and we really need to do anything we can to let people know this just isn’t acceptable conduct.” If the bill is approved by the Senate and house, then Governor Roy Cooper would ultimately sign the bill into law or veto it. If signed, it would go into effect on January 1st, 2020.

If you’d like to help the bill become law, contact the Senate, find and contact the North Carolina representatives, and let Governor Cooper know that you Support this bill! You can also sign this petition to show Support for making animal cruelty a federal felony.

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