U.S. House of Reps passes bill making animal cruelty a federal felony

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bipartisan bill that would make animal cruelty a federal felony.

The bipartisan bill was introduced by Florida Representative Ted Deutch and Representative Vern Buchanan.

The bill would make it a federal offense to intentionally crush, drown, burn, suffocate, impale, or otherwise subject an animal to serious bodily harm. If convicted, a person would face felony charges, fines and up to seven years in prison.

The bill would also close a loophole in a 2010 law that currently only punishes abuse seen in videos.