(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has unanimously passed a bill that raises the penalty for animal torture to a felony, with a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, says the bill will protect animals AND people because there’s strong evidence there’s a link between animal abuse and future violent crime.
“It should be a felony to commit these terrible, horrible, horrendous acts against an animal because we know that is a malignant personality that is going to not only do that to an animal, but has something much greater in terms of evil in them and are likely to do it to a person,” Bousselot said.
Advocates for companion animals like dogs and cats have been pushing the legislature for years to take this step. Representative Samatha Fett, a Republican from Carlisle, says the bill sets the right penalty for deliberate and extreme cruelty to animals. “This bill closes a long-standing gap in Iowa’s law, aligning us with federal standards,” Fett said, “and ensures the most heinous acts of cruelty carry meaningful consequences.”
The bill also allows those who assist in the torture of companion animals can be charged with a crime.
