Earlier this week, the Virginia House of Delegates gave final approval to a bill to allow (but not require) any locality to establish an animal cruelty registry. Previously passed by the Senate on January 29, the bill now awaits action by the Governor.
Those wishing to contact Governor Youngkin regarding SB 93 may do so by using this link.
Summary:
SB 93 would allow any locality to establish an animal cruelty registry for public access on the website of the locality or its local police department. If established, the registry may include the names and relevant information of persons convicted of certain felony offenses for animal cruelty. A person listed on the registry may request the removal of their name after 15 years if there are no additional felony convictions of an animal cruelty offense during that time period. All costs relating to a locality’s animal cruelty registry shall be borne by such locality.
There is no requirement for a locality to establish a registry, so if this bill should pass, Virginia residents may wish to reach out to their local government to express your concerns with registries and encourage them to instead use their resources to enforce current state and local laws regarding the care of animals.
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) has seen an increase over the past couple years of local governments throughout Virginia wishing to regulate dog owners. We encourage local clubs and breeders to watch local city and county agendas and local media and notify us if you hear of proposals impacting dog owners and breeders.
For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.