Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Senate approves President Ruggerio’s bill
to hold owners of abused animals responsible

 

 

STATE HOUSE – The Senate has approved legislation from President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) to establish new requirements for the provision of care to abused animals.

 

The legislation (S-2443A) establishes a procedure for the owner or guardian of an animal in the custody of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) to pay reasonable expenses for the animal’s care, including shelter and food.

 

If the owner or guardian neither provides payment nor petitions District Court for the return of the animal within a set timeframe, the animal may be forfeited to the RISPCA through a court petition.

 

“Pets deserve protection from cruelty and abuse, and people who engage in such deplorable behavior should be held accountable for their actions. That includes providing for the care of animals that have suffered due to their negligence or mistreatment – and, if they fail to meet their obligations, surrendering their ownership rights,” President Ruggerio said. “I’m thankful to my Senate colleagues for supporting this legislation, and I’m proud of our work together to advance numerous animal protection bills during my time in the General Assembly.”

 

President Ruggerio’s legislation was cosponsored by Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick), Sen. Cynthia A. Coyne (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence), Sen. Stephen R. Archambault (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Providence, Johnston), Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence), Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett), and Sen. Frank Lombardo III (D-Dist. 25, Johnston).

 

The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary.

 

Former President Trump is back in court for his criminal hush money trial. Jurors are once again hearing testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who gave details this week on how he protected Trump from negative stories leading up to the 2016 presidential election. This comes as the judge in the case said he'll consider four other Trump gag order violations being alleged by the prosecution, while he still has yet to rule on other violations allegedly committed by the former President.        It's up to state governors to decide if the National Guard is needed to subdue pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. That's according to the Biden administration. Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson called on President Biden to call in the National Guard after visiting Columbia University on Wednesday.        Millions in the central U.S. are under the threat of severe thunderstorms. The multi-day event is underway and is expected to bring large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes to the region. Storms took place yesterday and caused at least two tornadoes and there were reports of hail larger than baseballs. Major cites that could be hit with multiple rounds of severe storms include Dallas, Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines.        Personal income in the U.S. was up half a percent in March, in line with what analysts expected. Numbers out this morning from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the increase accelerated from a point-three percent increase in February. Personal income from assets also saw slight growth at a tenth of a percent, primarily due to dividends.        A new survey is ranking the best cities to enjoy marijuana in. LawnStarter found Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, and New York are the top five cities for marijuana tourism, which compared 300 of the biggest U.S. cities where recreational marijuana use is legal. It based their determination on six categories including everything from access to munchie relief.        Zendaya's "Challengers" is off to a good start at the box office. The tennis drama made one-point-nine-million-dollars yesterday from Thursday previews. The film is expected to make between 12 and 15-million-dollars in its first weekend in theaters and is projected to take the number one spot from A24's "Civil War."        

Old News Archives