Lawmakers Green Light Animal Cruelty Bill

ST. GEORGE - Lawmakers in the House are green-lighting a bill that would make animal cruelty a domestic-violence offense in Utah. 

Senator Allen Christensen sponsored the bill after discussions with law enforcement officers in Ogden. 

The new law would protect animals, and it would allow domestic-violence charges to be filed in cases where a man threatens a spouse's pet. 

Christensen said that a domestic-violence charge is the first step in getting a protective order against an abuser.