Anyone who has been convicted of abusing animals could find themselves on a state-run online registry in North Carolina, if a bill recently introduced eventually becomes law.
Sens. Floyd McKissick and Danny Britt introduced the bill last week that would require the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to start a registry that is similar to the state's sex offender database, and lists the names, mugshots and other information of anyone convicted of abusing animals, WRAL reported.
The first conviction would land a person on the list for two years. Additional convictions would put them on the registry for five years and would prohibit the ownership of animals for a five-year period, according to WRAL.
Abuse can be anything from cockfighting and maliciously chaining dogs, to inhumane transporting animals or neglect.
This isn't the first time a state has taken steps to protect animals in this way. Tennessee started an animal abuse registry that focuses on violent abuse. Since it started in 2015, Tennessee's list has had 15 people in the registry, WRAL reported.
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