Michigan State Representatives Paul Muxlow and Harvey Santana have forged a remarkable proposal to curb animal cruelty in their state. Their House Bills 4534 and 4535 propose an animal abuse registry to some extent modeled on a sexual offender's registry.
The animal abuse registry would require those convicted of animal cruelty to sign in with their community's police department, providing their addresses, personal photos, and social security numbers. The proposed law would make them ineligible to adopt animals from a shelter. And they would stay on the register for five years. The same bill would make it illegal for shelters to place animals with known animal abusers.
This law has great potential to stop the cycle of violence against animals by repeat offenders. Please support this common sense approach to stopping animal cruelty. It could become a model for other state laws or even a federal law!
We the undersigned hope that you will do the right thing and vote yes on House Bills 4534 and 4535.
It is well known and documented that people who abuse animals will continue doing so unless they are stopped. Many times, these repeat offenders hide their history and adopt animals from their local animal control facility or a humane society. The animal abuse registry will make it impossible for this to continue. Animal abusers will be known to their local police and their names will be provided to local shelters. They will become ineligible to continue the cycle of violence.
Again, we ask that you support this great bill which has so much potential to stop violence and cruelty.
