Establish an Animal Abuse Registry.

 

The purpose of this bill is to create an animal abuse registry that will greatly restrict the convicts ability to get

ahold of or be near animals, as well as warn potential employers and neighbors of their history of abuse.

 

The Minnesota State Bar Association cited a study that found 89% of women who had companion animals during an abusive

relationship reported that their animals were threatened, harmed, or killed by their abuser, as well as 88% of homes

where children were being abused also contained animals that were being abused or neglected. Roughly 85% of people

arrested for animal abuse or cruelty have had multiple past arrests, with 70% having prior felonies. Under the current

state laws, there are no regulations of the convicts - meaning they are still able to acquire and gain access to animals

even after being penalized. An estimated 10 million animals die each year in the US from abuse, neglect, or cruelty.

 

Convicted: Found guilty of a charge/crime

Offender: a person who commits an illegal act.

Animal Abuse: No person shall overdrive, overload, torture, cruelly beat, neglect, or unjustifiably injure, maim,

mutilate, or kill any animal, or cruelly work any animal when it is unfit for labor, whether it belongs to that person

or to another person.

Animal Cruelty: inflicting harm, injuring, or killing an animal. This cruelty can be intentional or it can involve

neglect.

Animal Neglect: Animal neglect is not providing adequate care, including abandonment without food, water, shelter,

failing to provide medical care, and starvation.

Service Animals: Working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people.

Punishments: The infliction or imposition of a restriction, financial penalty, form of suffering, or other undesired

consequence for an offense.

Misdemeanor: A smaller offense, not regarded as serious as a felony. Ex: causing a small amount of bodily harm on

purpose to the animal or leaving it in the car with the windows up.

Gross Misdemeanor: A larger offense, though still not felony level. Ex: cause great bodily harm to the animal or starve

it on purpose.

Felony: A crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable

by large fines and imprisonment for more than one year, or by death. Ex: Killing an animal or causing such severe bodily

harm that it had to be euthanized.

Criminal Offense: An act that violates federal, state or municipal law.

Incarceration: the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment.

Registry: A government-maintained system for tracking individuals convicted of certain animal abuse offenses. These

registries include information like names, addresses, photos, and physical descriptions, and some data is made available

to the public for safety purposes. Registered offenders are required to comply with specific reporting obligations to

law enforcement throughout their lives, depending on the nature of their conviction.

 

 

A federal grant of $750,000 to go to the creation of the registry will be applied for with the assistance of MN

senators, while the following sources will be used to maintain the registry:

- Increasing the fines incurred when a person abuses or neglects the animal from the current fine for misdemeanor

maximum of $1,000 to up to $5,000, a gross misdemeanor maximum of $3,000 to $7,500, and a felony up to $10,000 along

with the incarceration time determined by the judge.

- There will be an annual fee abusers already registered will have to pay which can range from $100 to $500 depending on

the severity of their abuse.

- If a convicted offender (after the effective date) does not register within 5 business days of conviction, a fee of

$250 dollars will be added to the fine for every day they have not registered after the 5 business days.

 

 

Not applicable.

 

January 1st, 2027