Senate passes PACT Act

The Senate passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act on Tuesday by unanimous consent.

The measure says a person can be prosecuted for crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling animals and sexually exploiting them, CNN noted. Those convicted would face federal felony charges, fines and up to seven years in prison.

The House has already passed the bill, and it will now go to President Donald Trump for his signature.

“The U.S. is far overdue to establish a federal anti-cruelty law,” said Holly Gann, director of federal affairs at Animal Wellness Action and the Animal Wellness Foundation. “We as a nation should have no tolerance for animal abuse, and the PACT Act will allow federal authorities to stop heinous crimes when they occur on the federal level.”