State Senator Scott Wilk’s Animal Cruelty and Violence Intervention Act was unanimously approved by the State Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday, according to a news release.
Wilk, R-Antelope Valley, introduced the Animal Cruelty and Violence Intervention Act of 2018, SB 1024, on Feb 7. The bill will go before the State Senate next week for a full vote.
“SB 1024 will allow us to funnel the most serious animal abuse offenders in to mental health evaluations and treatments so that we can identify and address the underlying causes of their violent behavior,” said Wilk.
If passed, offenders will be required to take part in mandatory mental health assessments and optional counseling unless deemed beneficial upon evaluation. Techniques in how to properly interact with animals will also be implemented.
Seventy-one percent of domestic violence offenders have abused animals at some point in their lives, while 70 percent of violent prison inmates have histories involving serious animal abuse, Wilk cited in the bill.
The act must be brought to a vote before the deadline of Jun. 1.
To read the bill, go to https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1024.
The above information was obtained by The Signal via a news release provided by State Senator Scott Wilk’s office.
