(WXMI) — A group of animal advocates wants to establish a state registry for convicted animal abusers.
If approved in the next election, the registry would give all Michiganders, animal shelters and law enforcement agencies the ability to search for offenders.
However, the Protect MI Pet initiative will need many signatures — around 550,000 of them — to get the registry on the 2024 ballot.
The group, who met virtually Friday to discuss the program, says animal rights are something everyone can agree on.
“Do they deserve to have the right to own another one? To go to a different county and just walk into a humane society, get the same breed of dog, an animal that they just starve to death?” one group member posed. “I don't think they should."
The proposal would also modify the state's forfeiture procedure, reducing how much time animals spend in confinement while cases play out in court.
The organization explains pets sometimes linger in shelters for years while arguments over them are made in the courtroom.
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