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Legislation to create an online public registry of animal abuse offenders passed the Senate last week.
The Senate voted 33-17 for Senate Bill 1311 and it goes to the House in the waning days of the two-year session. Several Democratic senators voted against the bill.
SB 1311 sponsored by Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, directs the Pennsylvania State Police to list the names of animal abusers convicted of certain animal abuse offenses, including harming a police animal while evading arrest and cruelty to animals.
SB1311 defines animals as dogs, cats and equine animals.
The registry would include photos and ID. People selling animals or putting them up for adoption would be required to check the registry for records of convicted abusers.
An offender would be informed of the need to register at the time of sentencing.
Laughlin cites the plight of a dog named Aimee as spurring the bill. Aimee was a young husky found abandoned in a crate under a bridge in Erie during subzero temperatures.
She was severely underweight, suffering frostbite and died despite rescuers' efforts to save her.
"We cannot undo what happened to her, but we can honor her by taking action to protect other animals from the same cruelty," said Laughlin.
According to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, there were 805 convictions in 2025 for annual abuse offenses defined in SB1311.
Those included 224 third-degree felony convictions and 577 summary offenses.
Sen. Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, issued a statement outlining concerns leading him to vote against SB 1311.
"I ultimately made the difficult decision to vote no on SB1311," said Kearney.
He said evidence shows that a registry doesn't reduce recidivism and can decrease prosecution of more serious cases.
Court-issued no contact orders provide greater protection to abused animals, said Kearney.
A registry can make it more difficult for offenders who served their sentence to be rehabilitated into society, he added.
Kearney mentioned that the ASPCA was neutral on the bill while the ACLU of Pennsylvania opposed it.