More than a year after the Vermont House and Senate approved separate bills making animal cruelty a felony, the two legislative bodies this month finally approved a conference committee report sending animal cruelty legislation on to Vermont Gov. James H. Douglas.

The bill would amend Vermont law to create the crime of aggravated animal cruelty defined as anyone who,

(1) kills an animal by intentionally causing the animal undue pain or suffering; or

(2) intentionally, maliciously, and without just cause tortures, mutilates, or cruelly beats an animal.

In Vermont it has long been a felony to kill an animal by intentionally causing it undue pain or suffering, but causing suffering without killing the animal was only considered as a misdemeanor. Now, beating, torturing or mutilating an animal can be charged as felonies even if the animal is not killed as a result of the cruelty.

The full text of the proposed changes to Vermont\’s animal cruelty laws can be read here.