Sex offender registries have become commonplace throughout the nation. Now animal rights advocates are tweaking the idea to come up with animal abuse registries.

New York's Suffolk County legislature on Wednesday signed off on a measure that would publicly name anyone convicted of animal abuse by having them report to a registry for five years after their conviction.

"Most serial killers began as animal abusers, Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Chief Roy Gross told the North Shore Sun. It's a known fact: people who hurt animals hurt people too.

The Sun story says the convicted abusers would pay a $50 annual fee for upkeep of the registry, and those who fail to register would be charged $1,000 or face jail time. The legislature is also considering another bill that would require pet stores and animal shelters to check the registry before allowing anyone to adopt or buy an animal.

In February 2010, the Animal Legal Defense Fund launched a national campaign to promote abuser registry legislation, and has worked with Suffolk County Legislator Jon Coopers office in support of the bill. The Fund says registry bills have been introduced in six states.