A bill in Maine that would have required the state to create an “animal abuser registry” was killed after the Joint Committee on Criminal Justice and Safety recently voted that the bill “ought not to pass.” The bill is part of a growing trend of similar legislation that animal rights organizations have been introducing across the country.
LD 1289, sponsored by Representative Elizabeth Dickerson (D-Rockland), would have required adults who violate Maine’s animal cruelty laws, or a similar law from another state, to register in their county of residence. Had the bill passed, it would have required a person to register with the state for 15 years for even the most minor violations of animal cruelty laws. Statewide registration is something That even most felons and other criminals are not required to do.
The registry would have required the person to submit detailed personal information with the county sheriff’s office. The sheriff would have been required to notify all residents, schools, humane societies, and animal rescues within a ½ mile radius of the person by giving them the person’s address, photograph, and description.
“These types of unnecessary and wasteful bills are beginning to become a trend,” said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of government affairs. “Similar registry bills have been introduced in Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia. Sportsmen everywhere should be on the alert.”
