Murphy passes bill to crack down on animal cruelty

ALBANY, NY - With numerous recent and disturbing reports of animal cruelty on the rise in New York State, one member of the State Senate says it must stop. Senator Terrence Murphy today said he passed a bill crafted to prevent those who abuse animals from committing similar acts in the future in the Senate.

"Animal cruelty is a key indicator of future violence toward human victims, and yet under current law repeat offenders only face misdemeanor charges," Murphy said. "Treating animal cruelty as a felony will create more of a deterrent apropos of these heinous and profane acts against helpless animals. Whether it is direct violence or neglect, animal cruelty is wrong in all forms."

The new law authored by Murphy would increase the penalty for multiple convictions of torturing, killing or failing to provide sustenance to an animal to a felony, if convicted within five years from the date of a prior conviction. It now faces passage in the State Assembly, where it is sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.

Raising the penalty to a felony for subsequent acts of cruelty will help law enforcement curb such activities and allow for the imposition of lengthier periods of court supervision or imprisonment, Murphy said. "Treating repeat offenses of animal cruelty as felonies is consonant with the goal of preventing future violence toward human and animal victims," he said.