An act relating to animal cruelty crimes and penalties

This bill (H.492) requires anyone convicted of animal cruelty or aggravated animal cruelty to surrender all animals they own and bans them from owning animals in the future. It also introduces "coercive control" as a factor, meaning individuals who commit or threaten animal cruelty to influence a domestic abuse victim may face additional criminal penalties. The bill directly affects convicted animal abusers and those using animal cruelty as a tactic in domestic violence situations. Key provisions include mandatory animal surrender for offenders and enhanced penalties for using animal cruelty to control domestic abuse victims. The bill is currently pending in the Judiciary Committee.