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This evening, Assembly Bill 829, the Animal Cruelty & Violence Intervention Act, authored by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron (R-Valley Center) and sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation, passed the full Senate with a vote of 40-0. The bill also passed a procedural concurrence vote in the Assembly. The bill will be sent to the Governor, where he will have 30 days to sign the bill into law or veto it.
"I would like to thank my colleagues in the Legislature for supporting this crucial measure. We acknowledge that we are confronting a mental health crisis, and those who deliberately harm animals are a part of this crisis," stated Assemblymember Waldron. "By having the option of a mental health assessment as an essential barrier, we are not only reducing incidents of animal abuse but we are protecting the well-being of these innocent animals. I look forward to the Governor signing AB 829.”
"We thank Assemblymember Waldron for carrying this important bill, and grateful to both houses of the legislature in supporting AB 829, and Senator Susan Rubio for presenting it to her colleagues on the Senate floor," said Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation.
"The relationship between human violence and animal abuse, referred to as the “link,” is the finding that the two behaviors are correlated – they co-occur such that each is a predictor of the other. For example, one trait the perpetrators of both the Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, NY tragedies share in common was a propensity for animal cruelty. Both disturbed 18-year-olds bragged about and posted online content describing or depicting their abuse of cats and other animals. Animal abusers are as much as five times more likely to harm humans. When we have a chance to intervene and require these disturbed individuals to receive the mental health treatment they need, we must do so before they harm more animals or another human tragedy strikes in California. We urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 829."
"In my over 20 years of psychology practice, I have documented the correlation between animal abuse and lethality in domestic violence cases. Indeed, crimes against animals are tied to a myriad of crimes against people. Families and communities are at risk when animal abuse offenders go ignored or untreated," said Dr. Lorin Lindner, clinical psychologist and public health educator. "It is undeniable that animal abuse is a critical public health and safety issue and that people who abuse animals require a specialized intervention program to effectively mitigate the personal and societal costs of this violence. We appreciate that the legislature unanimously supported AB 829, and we urge Governor Newsom to sign this good bill into law."
We thank you all for supporting us along this very long and laborious process! We will have an action alert soon with instructions on how to voice your support to the Governor to sign AB 829!
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