Bill making torture of animals in Kentucky a Class D felony headed to Beshear's desk
A bill in Kentucky that would increase penalties for animal torture is headed to the governor's desk, and it has the support of one of Louisville's favorite dogs.
House Bill 258, also dubbed Ethan's Law, after Ethan the dog, passed out of the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill would make it so that the penalty for torturing cats and dogs would become a Class D felony.
Ethan and his owner, Jeff Callaway, were back in Frankfort to support the bill.
When Ethan was adopted, he was severely emaciated from neglect. Callaway says MRI scans showed he had been severely beaten.
It passed by a vote of 30-5 across party lines.
HB 258 now heads to Gov. Andy Beshear's desk, who can either sign the bill into law or veto it.
If it becomes law, it would change the penalty from a max of 12 months in jail to a range of one to five years.