RICHMOND, Va – Governor Glenn Youngkin signed five pieces of legislation Monday, known as ‘The Beagle Bills,’ which protect four-legged Virginians.
The bills prohibit the sale of dogs or cats for experimental purposes and penalize animal cruelty.
Currently, you cannot deal or be a commercial breeder in the Commonwealth if you received a certain number of animal welfare citations from the USDA.
“They’re going to have to comply with the laws; and if they can’t comply with the laws, then they’re going to be held accountable. That’s why I think these bills are so important. I think it’s really important to be clear that, in fact, we are not going to put up, in Virginia, with our for legged friends -- dogs and cats -- being mistreated,” said Youngkin.
Virginia Senator Bill Stanley introduced some of the legislation and is working to have 480 beagles adopted. As of Monday, he still had 180 of them that need forever homes.