The House Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 77, or the Felony Animal Cruelty Bill, with only one dissenting vote this morning, a few days after the State Senate unanimously approved the bill, 34-0.

Among other things, the measure establishes a maximum animal cruelty offense fine of $10,000 and up to six years in jail.

The crime is now a misdemeanor, regardless of the number of offenses; it warrants up to one year in prison and a maximum $1,000 fine.

The bill will now go before the full House, and if all goes according to plan, straight to the desk of Gov. Mike Beebe, who has said he intends to sign it into a law. This could happen as soon as Feb. 1, according to Dale Bartlett, deputy manager of animal cruelty for the Humane Society of the United States.

"This is incredible news for Arkansas," Bartlett said. "Arkansas' penalties for both cock fighting and animal cruelty have been languishing near the bottom of the scale for many years."

If the measure is signed into law, Arkansas will remove itself from the list of the few states -- including North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Mississippi and Alaska -- that consider an animal cruelty offense a misdemeanor.

Aside from stipulating any animal cruelty offense as a felony, the bill also dictates that if a crime is committed in the presence of a child, an additional five years in prison can be tacked on to an offender's sentence.

Offenders would lose the right to re-claim their abused animals, yet, additionally, would be responsible for covering medical and care costs of their displaced pets.

The bill also amends the present state law that makes dog fighting illegal to include all animal fighting. This means cockfighting is now a Class D felony.

Source: www.zootoo.com