Will County Gazette

State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) has received a perfect score from the Illinois Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) for his votes on four animal cruelty bills this year. 

Curran recently shared a press release on Facebook announcing his perfect score and expressing pride in his ability to advance the legislation. 

“We have seen some horrific stories in the news this year about abuse of animals, the inhumane treatment of pets that are sold through puppy mills, and bad actors taking advantage of consumers. This year, I was proud to help advance legislation that addresses these and other areas regarding dogs, cats, and other animals,” Curran wrote in his post.

According to the release, the HSLF issues scorecards for federal and state legislators each year that reflect how they voted on animal rights legislation. In 2021, lawmakers were scored by the HSLF for their votes on four bills including the Humane Pet Store Act (HB 1711), Predatory Pet Sales Loans (HB 572), Mandatory Forfeiture (HB 168) and Wildlife Trafficking (HB 395). Curran voted in favor of all four bills.

Among those included in the score, the bills' passage prohibit the sale of commercially-raised dogs and cats in pet stores, prohibit sellers and breeders from charging high rates for pets and financing them through a third-party, prohibit individuals convicted of two offenses of animal abuse from owning a pet and expand protections for an increased number of endangered species.  

This comes as TuftsNow reports an estimated one million pets are abused or killed during episodes of domestic violence every year. According to the American Humane, the new anti-cruelty animal protection laws will take effect on Jan. 1. Under these, those who have abused animals through aggravated cruelty, using them for entertainment, or dogfighting can be banned from owning animals.