(WSVN) - A bill that is being considered in North Carolina would require the names and photos of convicted animal abusers to appear in an online registry.
The bill, titled the North Carolina Animal Abuser Registry Act is sponsored by state Sens. Floyd McKissick and Danny Britt. McKissick is a Democrat while Britt is a Republican.
If passed, the bill would require the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to post an online registry of people convicted of animal abuse.
People convicted of abuse for the first time would be in the registry for two years before they are removed. People convicted a second time would be in the registry for five years.
The bill would also require that repeat offenders forfeit ownership of all their animals, and they would not be allowed to have an animal for five years.
McKissick told CNN the bill’s purpose is to deter animal abuse in the state.
“There’s been increasing instances of animal abuse, and we really need to do anything we can to let people know this just isn’t acceptable conduct,” he said.
If passed, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
To read the full bill text, click here.
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