VT H0492

Persons convicted of animal cruelty or aggravated animal cruelty would be required to surrender all animals in their possession and permanently prohibited from owning or possessing any animal in the future

Introduces "coercive control" as a concept within animal cruelty law, targeting the use of animal abuse as a tool of domestic violence

Creates additional criminal penalties for committing or threatening to commit animal cruelty against an animal to influence or control a victim of domestic abuse

Supplements existing animal cruelty penalties and crimes in Vermont law