The freshman lawmaker who pushed to increase penalties for people who abuse animals is disappointed the legislation never made it to the floor of the Senate for a vote. But Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan, said he is undeterred. Having seen three of his sponsored bills pass in his first term, Wyatt is confident he can enact the animal cruelty legislation next year. "I believe in this and I'm going to continue to strive to make this society one that is free of abuse," Wyatt said minutes after the session ended early Thursday. That pledge came as good news to Humane Society of Utah Director Gene Baierschmidt. "Utah has some of the weakest animal cruelty laws in the nation," said Baierschmidt, whose organization endorsed Wyatt's bill, which would have made animal torture a felony. As originally drafted, the bill also would have increased the penalties for those who abuse an animal in the presence of a child. That provision was taken out in an effort to make the bill more palatable to the House. Wyatt said he has not decided whether he would push that provision next year. - Matthew D. LaPlante