The country’s first statewide Animal Abuse Registry is scheduled to be accessible online starting January 1, 2016. The Tennessee Animal Abuser Registration Act was signed into law this past spring and will require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to post to it’s website a list of persons convicted of animal abuse with in the state of Tennessee according to The Huffington Post.

The online registry will enable animal shelters, rescue groups and the general public direct access to public records when considering an adoption or finding a new home for a pet.

Persons convicted of the following criminal offenses against animals will be listed online at the Tennessee Animal Abuse Registry.

• Aggravated animal cruelty.
• Felony animal fighting.
• Bestiality and related offenses.
• Cruelty to animals.

Upon a first conviction, a person’s name and identifying information will remain on the list for two years. A second or subsequent conviction would require this information to be listed for five years.

RELATED:

Senate Bill No. 1204 (SB 1204)
http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1204