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Senator pitches adding animal-abuse offenses to foster and adoptive background checks
Summary
Senator Controna told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Senate Bill 265 would add several animal-related offenses to the list of disqualifying conduct for prospective foster and adoptive parents, citing studies linking animal cruelty and child abuse.
Senator Controna presented sponsor testimony on Senate Bill 265 to the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying the bill would expand disqualifying offenses in foster- and adoptive-parent background checks to include several animal-related crimes.
Controna told the committee the proposal would add prohibitions concerning companion-animal offenses, animal fighting, dog fighting and other cruel conduct involving animals to the disqualifying-offense list that background-checking bodies use when screening prospective caregivers. He argued the change is intended to protect children because of a correlation between animal abuse and child abuse. “People are 5 times more likely to abuse humans if they abuse animals,” he told the committee.
Senator Controna said the proposal would allow the state agency that maintains suitability checks to include these offenses in its screening criteria and prevent certain individuals from serving as foster or adoptive caregivers when those convictions are present.
There were no committee questions during the sponsor remarks; Chair Manning recorded the bill as having its first hearing and thanked the sponsor.
The bill will remain under committee consideration.
