“Animal abuse in our Commonwealth is simply unacceptable,
and legislation to confront it has been a major priority in this session,” said
Senator Tarr. “Now we have acted to increase penalties to send a clear and
immediate message, and to create a task force that will build a foundation for
further action.”
“Animals are defenseless and we must do everything within our means to protect them from senseless assault and mistreatment by some of the cruelest members of our society,” said Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), a Senate lead co-sponsor. “We must be vigilant to ensure that those serious offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Representative Louis Kafka (D-Stoughton) and Representative Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy) have also been championing legislation to strengthen the state’s animal abuse laws. A total of 76 legislators from both the House and Senate signed on to the original PAWS Act, including the entire Senate Republican Caucus.
“We’re very pleased that this crucial legislation has passed, and we extend our thanks to Senator Tarr and all of the bill’s supporters who championed these reforms,”said Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the MSPCA-Angell. “Animal lovers around the state can today celebrate these efforts and hopefully can find some peace knowing that from such tragic incidents, like Puppy Doe and others, awareness has been generated that will now prevent harm to other helpless animals.”
The Senate had initially approved the PAWS Act by a vote of 40-0 on July 31, the last day of formal sessions. The House subsequently adopted some minor technical amendments before passing the bill on a voice vote. The modified bill, which will give public safety officials the tools to meaningfully punish those who commit heinous acts of cruelty against animals, calls for:
- Increasing
the possible fine for committing animal abuse from $2,500 to $5,000 for a
first offense, and up to $10,000 for a second and any subsequent offenses;
- Raising
the maximum time in prison from 5 years to 7 years for a first offense and
up to 10 years for a second and any subsequent offenses;
- Requiring
veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse (similar to the requirement
for medical staff who suspect child abuse); and
- Creating
a special task force of experts in law enforcement, animal protection,
veterinary practice, legal professionals, and industry professionals to
review methods to prevent animal abuse and punish those who commit animal
abuse.
The bill now heads to Governor Patrick’s desk for his signature.
