DELAWARE- Delaware is now the latest state to establish an animal abuse offender list, following the signing of Senate Bill 174 into law by Gov. Matt Meyer. A ceremony celebrating the legislation is scheduled for Sept.16 at the Brandywine Valley SPCA’s Copeland Center for Animal Welfare.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Nicole Poore and Rep. Kimberly Williams, requires the Office of Animal Welfare to maintain a public list of adults convicted of animal abuse crimes. The list will be available on the state website and aims to help shelters and the public identify individuals who pose a risk to animal welfare.
Under the new law, animal shelters are prohibited from approving adoptions to anyone listed as a convicted abuser.
“This important legislation goes to the core work we do every single day as Delaware’s only open-intake shelter for pets in need, including animal victims of abuse, neglect and cruelty,” said Adam Lamb, BVSPCA CEO. “We are glad to support these efforts in Delaware to have animal cruelty taken more seriously, and look forward to working with the Office of Animal Welfare to implement these new safeguards for adoptable animals.”
BVSPCA is expected to host the ceremonial bill signing with Gov. Meyer, lawmakers, staff, volunteers, representatives from animal welfare organizations, and Wink, a BVSPCA alum and survivor of abuse, on Sept. 16.
Governor Meyer signed Senate Bill 174 into law in August 2025, ahead of the upcoming ceremony.