Advocates of tougher penalties for companion animal owners who willingly and negligently allow their pets to viciously attack others have had reason to cheer this month. As of March 20, Avery’s Law became the law of the land in the Buckeye State after sailing through both chambers of the state Legislature with rapid-fire speed.

It did so with good reason as its primary provisions drew bipartisan support and unanimous votes in both the state House and Senate. In essence, the law imposes much more severe criminal penalties against negligent owners, authorizes immediate dog seizures after attacks and includes protections for animals that are legitimately defending themselves, their owners or their property.

Contrast the cosmic speed with which Avery’s Law jettisoned through the Legislature with the tortoiselike crawl given equally compelling animal-centered legislation sponsored by state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield.

Avery’s Law was introduced last spring and torpedoed through 10 public hearings before passing in the fall. Cutrona’s bill, Senate BIll 64 to increase penalties for abusive and negligent pet owners, was introduced last winter and has vegetated more than one year since in the Senate Judiciary Committee with no movement or meaty hearings.

Clearly, Cutrona’s measure deserves the same momentum afforded Avery’s Law last year. We therefore strongly urge committee members to act swiftly to give SB 64 a full airing in hearings, robust debate and, from our perspective, speedy passage into law before it dies on the vine at the end of this year.

Senate Bill 64 aims to significantly expand the penalty range for all animal abuse and neglect offenses and would codify much more severe sentencing guidelines.

Among its many needed provisions are these:

Harsher penalties for first-time offenders: Cutrona’s bill elevates most of those crimes from misdemeanors to felonies.

Mandatory maximum sentences: Courts would be required to impose the maximum prison sentence for anyone convicted of an animal cruelty charge, often a full three-year prison term. Too often, hardened abusers have received slaps on the wrist — or no punishment — for their inhumane crimes.

Restrictions on animal ownership for offenders: The new legislation would ban all those convicted of abuse from owning an animal for three years.

The need for such taut reforms is beyond irrefutable. Animal welfare agencies in the state, including the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County and Animal Charity of Ohio in Mahoning County, have endured skyrocketing increases in cases of abuse and neglect in recent years to the point where shelters are overcrowded and their limited resources are spread far too thin.

One need only review two high-profile abuse cases in the Mahoning Valley to recognize why Ohio must put the sharper teeth of Cutrona’s bill into its animal protection laws.

In Mahoning County, nearly 20 dead animals, including 18 cats and one dog, were discovered inside a foreclosed home on Hilltop Boulevard in Canfield last fall. Humane agents from Animal Charity of Ohio described the scene as “deplorable” and “gruesome,” noting the home was filled with trash, feces and flies.

In Trumbull County just earlier this month, more than 30 dogs and two horses were found dead following a house fire in Gustavus Township. Rescuers discovered approximately 50 animals in total on the Davis Peck Road property, with survivors showing signs of severe neglect, including extreme malnourishment and severe matting.

Sadly such horror stories have become the new norm for those on the front lines of animal rescue. Aggravating the crisis are overly lenient charges and punishments for insidious offenders.

To that point, a study from Ohio State University is enlightening. It collected data on animal abuse outcomes in 212 courts statewide and found 92% were handled as misdemeanors. As for punishment for their heinous crimes, 47% were dismissed outright, and among those receiving jail time, a full 70% of them had their sentences suspended.

Today with the ongoing surge in abuse cases showing no signs of slowing any time soon, overwhelmed and exhausted animal welfare agencies desperately need help, partially through public support through volunteerism and donations.

To be sure, they also can be assisted through overwhelming and bipartisan passage of SB 64 in the Ohio General Assembly with the same lightning speed that carried Avery’s Law over the finish line last year.