Animal cruelty is too often treated as separate from violence against people — but a growing body of evidence suggests the two are closely linked. A new bipartisan bill in Congress, the Animal Violence Exposes Real Threat of (AVERT) Future Violence Act, would finally treat that connection as the public safety issue it is.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), with a Senate companion from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), would direct the Department of Justice to study how animal cruelty relates to violent crime against people and recommend ways to stop that violence before it escalates. It would also create $2 million a year in grants for police, clinicians, and animal welfare groups working to prevent cruelty and rehabilitate offenders.

"Not surprisingly, deranged individuals who abuse innocent animals are significantly more likely to go on to commit violence against people," Buchanan said, according to a press release from his office.

Titus put it plainly: "Animal abusers have a significantly higher likelihood of committing acts of interpersonal violence. Despite this, animal abuse continues to be treated as an isolated act rather than an indicator of violent behavior."

This bill won't close that gap on its own, but it gives law enforcement, clinicians, and lawmakers the data and funding they need to start — protecting animals and the people around them at the same time.

Sign the petition urging Congress to pass the AVERT Future Violence Act now — before another warning sign gets ignored.