DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Senate has passed a proposal to increase penalties for animal neglect or abuse.
The bill calls for the crime of aggravated misdemeanor and a penalty of up to two years in prison if an animal dies or is seriously injured from neglect or abuse.
The bill would also require that people convicted of animal torture serve 70% of a two-year sentence before being eligible for parole or work release.
There is no mandatory minimum prison time under current law.
Iowa was ranked 49th in the country for its animal welfare laws in January by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
The Senate bill passed by a margin of 44-3.
It's a compromise after the House unanimously passed stiffer penalties for a wide range of animal abuses last year. The Senate version keeps the offense of first-time animal torture as an aggravated misdemeanor, not a felony as the House had done.
The Senate bill will now go to the House.