“People who abuse innocent animals often turn their violence on innocent people. The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act would help better prevent and prosecute animal cruelty.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) in introducing the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, which would establish an Animal Cruelty Crimes Section within the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“People who abuse innocent animals often turn their violence on innocent people. The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act would help better prevent and prosecute animal cruelty, and I’m proud to partner with Sen. Braun and my colleagues to keep our communities safe from sick people who target helpless creatures,” said Kennedy.

“America has recently taken big steps to crack down on animal cruelty with new laws to protect animals from torture and abuse, but we need further action to ensure these laws are being enforced across the country and track our progress in eradicating animal cruelty. The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act would create a dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes Section at the Department of Justice to help bring those who abuse animals to justice and includes reporting measures to track our progress,” said Braun.

The Animal Cruelty Crimes Section would enforce federal laws prohibiting animal cruelty under the jurisdiction of the DOJ. The ACE Act would also require the DOJ to report to Congress annually on the number of animal cruelty investigations and prosecutions of animal cruelty it conducts.