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Senate advances animal-torture, cruelty measure after heated debate
Summary
The Utah Senate advanced Senate Bill 297, which defines torture of companion animals and creates felony penalties for the most serious offenses, after extended debate and a failed amendment to reduce penalties. The bill cleared a procedural third-reading vote and will proceed in the process.
The Utah Senate advanced Senate Bill 297 on a procedural third-reading vote after lengthy floor debate over how severely the state should punish defined acts of animal torture.
Senator Christiansen, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the measure “defines what torture is” and said the legislation draws a line between neglect and the unusually brutal conduct the bill targets. The bill establishes that intentionally causing extreme physical pain to a companion animal — defined in the measure as a domestic dog or cat — can amount to a third-degree felony on a first offense in the statute’s most serious…
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