LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Four bills in a Nebraska legislative committee could fix what animal advocates call weak state laws surrounding animal neglect.

Senators heard public testimony Tuesday on the measures, which stem from the 2013 case of a Malcolm puppy mill where dogs were found living in conditions one county judge likened to a Holocaust concentration camp.

Department of Agriculture director Greg Ibach says he supports a bill by Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo that would allow the department to intervene in cases where the lives of dogs and cats are at risk.

Representatives from Hearts United for Animals, a nonprofit no-kill shelter in Auburn, say the bill’s standards for animal health and safety are too low.