LEASH Act of 2026

Local governments must report animal cruelty

This bill would require each Byrne Justice Assistance Grant applicant to certify they will report, for each fiscal year covered, state felony convictions that involved cruelty to animals, including the names of any individuals convicted. It would change JAG award targeting so grants go to local governments with the highest Part I violent crime counts over the three most recent calendar years and to jurisdictions that submit NIBRS data on felony animal-cruelty convictions. The Attorney General would have to create a public, searchable DOJ database of the reported conviction data and update it periodically, not later than 2 years after enactment. The reporting certification and the targeting change would apply to grant applications submitted in the first fiscal year that begins after the date that is 2 years after enactment.