Iowa lawmakers are aiming to strengthen animal torture penalties, under a bill (HF 2348) unanimously advanced by the Senate Wednesday.
Mutilating or causing intensive pain or death to a companion animal would be a class D felony. So would assisting or directing someone to harm an animal in that way.
Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, said a felony is the appropriate penalty for animal torture. He said the proposal protects both animals and people.
“We know the link between that behavior and how it will affect society as a whole in the future — that it is predictive of not only malignant personality, but predictive that they are going to harm a person,” Bousselot said.
He pointed to the National Sheriffs Association which calls animal cruelty a gateway crime to more violent acts against people.
The bill next heads back to the House. The nonprofit Humane World for Animals – formerly the Humane Society - urged the House to pass the bill after it cleared the Senate.