U.S. House of Representatives votes to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act

In a 272-114 vote the House elected to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA). The bill, labeled H.R. 1380, was originally proposed in 2019. Democratic representative Mike Quigley from Illinois’ 5th district is the main sponsor of the bill. While the BCPSA has bipartisan support in the House, it has struggled to gain traction in the Senate. Activists fear the existing political strife in the Senate may pose a threat to the future of the legislation.

The BCPSA has been at the forefront of U.S. animal rights discussions since the airing of Tiger King, the hit Netflix docu-series covering American tiger ownership. The legislation aims to prohibit the private ownership of exotic cats by unapproved facilities. To learn more about the American tiger crisis check out our article on the story here.

Full story by Nicholas Wu on USA Today