Trump signs bill making acts of animal cruelty felonies

President Donald Trump signed a bill making animal cruelty a felony, expanding on legislation from 2010 that made creation or distribution of “animal crushing” videos illegal.

The previous bill outlawed the videos but didn’t ban the actual acts of cruelty. “This common sense legislation restricts the creation and distribution of videos or images of animal torture,” Trump said Monday at the bill signing. “It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society.”

Trump noted the role animals play “in the development, settlement, security and happiness of our country.” He specifically called out Conan, a military dog injured during the mission that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Conan was honored in a White House ceremony Monday. The National Sheriffs’ Association and Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture act, citing a “documented connection” between animal cruelty and other violent crimes.

The bill drew bipartisan support, championed in the House by Florida Reps.Ted Deutch, a Democrat, and Vern Buchanan, a Republican. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Richard Blumenthal, DConn.; and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the legislation in the Senate.

“Special thank you to all the animal lovers everywhere who know this is simply the right thing to do,” Deutch said. “Animal crushing” is used to describe torturing animals – often kittens, puppies, bunnies or mice.

PACT defines crushing as when “one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”