A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would make malicious acts of animal cruelty a federal crime. Stunningly, some horrific acts against animals are still legal in the United States and happen on a regular basis, even here in Maine.

Just last week, two teens in Lewiston were charged with animal cruelty after a video showing one of them beating a dog repeatedly went viral. They will appear in court soon, however the punishment for these acts is usually rather mild, typically involving a fine, paying any veterinarian bills and an order to seek psychiatric evaluation.

The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, sponsored by two Florida congressmen would make it a federal crime to crush, burn, drown, suffocate or impale an animal and could come with a prison sentence of up to 7 years.

Do you think this is enough? The bill would seem to address the death of an animal, but doesn't do much for other types of abuse like the two teens from Lewiston were involved with. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

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