WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced his Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act was signed into law before the Thanksgiving holiday last week. The PACT Act makes the gruesome torture and killing of animals a federal offense and makes it easier to prosecute those involved in animal cruelty.
“Intentionally harming animals for entertainment is an egregious act that we cannot tolerate,” said Brown. “This legislation will help put a stop to these disgusting acts, protect animals, and bring those committing these crimes to justice.”
Disturbingly, in so-called “animal crush videos,” individuals brutally kill, mutilate, and torture small and defenseless animals as a perverse form of entertainment to be shared over the internet.
In 2010, Congress passed the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which made the creation, sale, and distribution of these animal crushing videos illegal. The PACT Act would build on previous legislation by making these reprehensible acts a federal crime.
Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led the Senate version of the bill. Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced the House version. Brown is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
The PACT Act is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.