Guam – The legislature continued session today beginning discussions with Senator Judi Guthertz’s animal cruelty bill.
The measure would create harsher penalties for animal cruelty as well as more strict guidelines for owning pets or animals. For example animals would be required adequate space to exercise and access to an enclosed structure. The bill however was amended to remove the words “adequate” and “enclosed” instead requiring space to exercise and access to a structure for protection from the elements. Lawmakers also discussed the shark finning bill that would ban the practice of shark finning wherein the fins of sharks are cut off and the sharks thrown back into the water to die. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Rory Respicio and Vice-Speaker B.J. Cruz. “What the sponsor of this bill is intending to do is to close the loophole or any opportunity from our region to have shark finning done here in our waters in Guam.”
Lawmakers still are expected to vote on the bills and the remaining nominations by the end of the week, they are aiming for Thursday but could vote as early as tomorrow.
