[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16538-16539]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE ``ANIMAL CRUELTY STATISTICS ACT OF 2008''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce the bipartisan 
``Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008'' along with Representatives 
Gallegly, Nadler, Van Hollen and Moran. This bill will direct the 
Attorney General to make changes to existing crime data bases so that 
data on animal cruelty crimes will be collected and made publicly 
available. I thank the bipartisan coalition of Representatives who have 
joined me in introducing this important legislation.
  Animal cruelty crimes exist on the books in the vast majority of 
states and in the federal

[[Page 16539]]

system. Yet there is no established system to meaningfully collect data 
on these crimes. The collection of data is important in order to assess 
the effectiveness of the animal cruelty laws, identify trends and 
problem areas, and allocate resources efficiently. Social Service 
studies also have shown a relationship between animal cruelty crimes 
and family violence. Many domestic violence organizations support this 
bill because they believe data collection on animal cruelty crimes will 
also help address the critical problem of domestic violence. This bill 
will serve these important purposes.
  Again, I thank the bipartisan coalition of Representatives who have 
joined me in introducing this important legislation.

                          ____________________