But some animal welfare advocates, mostly notably the ASPCA, question how effective they can really be. Under registry laws, people convicted of felony animal cruelty are required to submit information to the registry and pay a maintenance fee. A high-profile animal cruelty case is often the impetus for passing a registry law. Stephanie Bell, director of cruelty casework for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said PETA is strongly in favor of animal abuser registries. The other states considering registries are Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

Source: Fox News February 26, 2018 19:52 UTC