Animal Possession Ban (New Jersey)
Moose’s Law (S.1258/A.2319)
Prohibits people convicted of criminal animal cruelty offenses from possessing domestic companion animals for at least two years and from working or volunteering at animal-related enterprises.
Status
Possession bans — laws that prohibit people convicted of animal cruelty from possessing animals for a set period of time — are critical tools in the fight against animal cruelty. Possession bans limit the pool of potential victims, reducing the likelihood that animal abuse will occur again in the future. Currently, New Jersey has no mandatory requirements for keeping convicted abusers away from animals, following their convictions.
Moose’s Law (S.1258/A.2319) would prohibit those convicted of criminal animal cruelty offenses from possessing domestic companion animals for a set period of time and from working or volunteering at animal-related enterprises. Every year, more states create possession bans or strengthen their existing ones. Five states alone updated or created a possession ban law in 2019. Sponsored by Senators Singleton (D-7), Bateman (R-16), and Greenstein (D-14) and Assemblymembers Murphy (D-7), Benson (D-14), Mosquera (D-4), Stanfield (R-8), Moose’s Law would make New Jersey the next state to mandate a possession ban after a conviction for animal cruelty.
In addition to protecting animals from cruelty, possession ban laws help save local law enforcement and animal control agencies resources. Investigating and addressing large-scale animal cruelty crimes, such as hoarding, can cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars per case.
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