NATCHEZ — Mississippi’s House and Senate have finally agreed on a bill that will strengthen dogfighting penalties.

The new legislation would add two years of jail time to first offense dogfighting convictions and introduce stiffer penalties for second and following offenses.

Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, first proposed his bill increasing penalties for dogfighters in early January.

The legislation has since bounced from Senate to House to Senate again — with a couple committee stops in between — and finally passed after representatives and senators held a conference early this week.

“I’m extremely happy about this,” Dearing said. “The penalties could be higher, but the House has come a long way from their original position. This is a good step forward.”

Mississippi’s current dogfighting penalty is a felony charge with a maximum $5,000 fine and three years in prison.

The amended legislation raises the maximum first-offender sentence to five years.

On second conviction, an offender could be fined between $5,000 and $10,000 and face five to 10 years in prison.

Dearing’s original plan would have increased dogfighting penalties to one year in prison and $1,000 per dog found on the suspected fighter’s property, with a maximum of 25 years in prison.

After suffering several penalty reductions through House and Senate committees, a special conference of senators and state representatives passed the bill Tuesday.

Dearing said he believes the statewide and national attention the dogfighting legislation received helped push the Legislature to pass stiffer penalties.

“We had several people receive calls and emails in support of the bill,” Dearing said. “I’d like to thank everyone who called or emailed. That really helps.”

Dearing said though he is happy with the increased penalties, he hopes to revisit the issue soon.

“There isn’t anything else I can do this year,” he said. “But I might see if we can strengthen it a little more, at least in terms of the fine.”

The animal protection agency In Defense of Animals lauded the passage of the bill.   

“We gladly welcome Mississippi’s increased penalties for dogfighting, which will protect our communities and help deter future cruelty crimes,” said Doll Stanley, who leads In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign. “Sen. Dearing deserves our thanks and respect for his fine character and steadfast commitment to ethical standards.”

The bill has not yet been signed by Gov. Phil Bryant, which will mark its passage into law.

Dearing said Bryant has five days to sign or veto the legislation before it becomes law by merit.