Animal lovers in Michigan are backing proposed legislation designed to protect animals and save taxpayers money.
Bills 657 and 658 aim to provide resources for animal control and shelters to care for abused animals more effectively. The proposed law would separate civil cases from criminal cases, allowing abused animals to leave the shelter sooner, reducing the financial burden on taxpayers.
State Senator Dayna Polehanki, a Livonia Democrat, is a co-sponsor of the bills and says they would change the bond-forfeiture system.
“It just simply gives the judge another tool in their toolkit that will allow them to rate what happened higher,” Young said. “So now, instead of getting 24 months probation, just say, oh yeah, you actually going to jail this time.”
While the bills have been referred to a Committee on Criminal Justice, other animal welfare bills, 5587 through 5593, have been voted out of the state House — one of them ensuring tougher penalties for abusers.
The Michigan Humane Society’s cruelty investigation team in the Detroit area investigates more than 5,000 animal cruelty complaints each year.
