The PACT Act - not what many think it is
While many people regard Pres. Trump's signing of the PACT Act (Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act) last month as a "holiday gift" to all of us who want to protect animals, it's only a step (and a small one) in the right direction. It's not yet the sweeping change many of us were expecting, hoping for and would like to see.
Many headlines and social media postings reflect the widespread concern about animal cruelty and the almost universal hope that new laws will criminalize and finally shut down the activities of cruel people in the U.S. Of special interest is the elimination of puppy mills and "mass production" of pets for profit, with no regard for their welfare. Sorry to say, this topic is not even addressed in the law.
In reality, it is very limited in scope and could best be considered as an expansion of previous legislation passed in 2010 to catch and punish those who produce what's known as "crush" videos. I won't describe what that is.
Also of note is the fact that the matter of jurisdiction determines what this law covers. Yes, it's a national anti-cruelty measure. But jurisdiction is everything. Only federal authorities can enforce it. States cannot, for example, cite the new law when dealing with local issues of cruelty, abuse and neglect. Thus, we must not relax, thinking the government has this one handled. They do not. We still must put pressure on state and local governments to enact local laws.
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