The 18-member commission will attempt to identify the potential
costs associated with training employees and contractors of the Department of Children
and Families and the Department of Elder Affairs, as well as investigators working
for the Disabled Persons Protection Commission, to recognize and report animal
cruelty, abuse and neglect. The special
commission will also consider the potential costs associated with training municipal
animal control officers to recognize and report the abuse of children, the elderly
and the disabled.
In announcing his appointment, Representative Jones cited
Representative Howitt’s sponsorship of legislation calling for the creation of a
statewide animal abuse registry. First
filed in 2015, the bill would require the Department of Criminal Justice
Information Services to establish and maintain a central computerized registry
of all persons convicted of an animal abuse crime, and would prohibit animal
shelters, pet stores, and breeders from selling an animal to any individual
listed on the registry.
“Representative Howitt has been at the forefront of efforts
to impose stronger penalties against individuals who abuse or neglect animals,”
said Representative Jones. “His commitment
to protecting animals will be an asset to the commission as it considers expanding
the number of people responsible for reporting these crimes.”
Representative Howitt is one of 10 legislators serving on
the commission, which will also include representatives from the Department of Agricultural
Resources; the Disabled Persons Protection Commission; the Executive Office of
Health and Human Services; the Attorney General’s office; the MSPCA-Angell; the
Animal Rescue League of Boston; the Animal Control Officers Association of
Massachusetts; and the Massachusetts Municipal Police Coalition.
Created as part of An
Act to protect animal welfare and safety in cities and towns – also known
as the PAWS II Act – the commission is due to report its findings and
recommendations to the Legislature by March 1, 2019.
Representative Howitt currently serves on the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, the Joint Committee on Transportation, and the House Committee on Redistricting. He represents the Fourth Bristol District,
which includes the communities of Seekonk, Rehoboth, and portions of Norton and
Swansea.
