Over at Pet News and Views, Michele shared that "The U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved an amendment to the House Farm Bill to strengthen laws against animal fighting. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), makes attending an animal fight a federal offense and imposes additional penalties for bringing a child to a dog or cockfight. The McGovern amendment was approved by the Committee by a bipartisan vote of 26-19. This amendment is similar to the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, standalone legislation with strong bipartisan support from 199 cosponsors introduced by Reps. Tom Marino (R-PA) and Betty Sutton (D-OH)."
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)
The news is good news so I had to share it too. Check out her post for the full details, but what makes me happy about this is that someone is finally succeeding in changing animal fighting laws. I've always thought that the people who attend animals fights are criminals too, not just the people who fight the animals. And those who actually expose children to it and raise them in an environment where they begin to think it's normal or ok, well that is just sick and disgusting. We have a long way to go before I would be satisfied with the laws surrounding animal fighting, abuse and neglect, but each step makes a difference.
