Legislative Action
Alerts Archives
~Just because you do not take an interest in
politics, doesn't mean it won't take an interest in you. Pericles~
2/13/09: Working with HSUS
is working against animal agriculture
Provided by Robin Harrison
2/10/09: Summary of state 'only tiny breeding allowed' laws and bills
Provided by Robin Harrison
CA- Limit of 50 dogs+CATS that are intact, euthanasia must be by vet.
AB 241 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0201-0250/ab_241_bill_20090210_introduced.html
http://tinyurl.com/aldzvn
CO- 25 limit SB 1127 Defeated in first Committee hearing.
IL- License required if 3 or more females for sale of offspring, limit
of 20 unaltered dogs.
HB 198 http://tinyurl.com/apmphl
IN- Limit of 20 intact dogs that are a year of age or older. Anyone
with 10 or more intact bitches over the age of 4 mos. must register as a commercial
breeder - House Bill 1468 Amendment #1
Heard before the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee Feb 11. Info here - http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3730
The breeder restrictions were added as Amendment #1 to this bill. The amendment to the
bill has not yet been published. This is what I was talking about in an earlier post about
the HSUS raising the stakes on LYING to a new level. Instead of putting forth breeder
restrictions as a change in existing animal control law in the state, where it would have
had to go before the Agriculture Committee, they instead "tacked it onto" an
existing anti-cruelty bill that only had to go before the House Courts and *Criminal Code*
Committee, where it passed unanimously. They very carefully kept the exact wording of the
amendment concealed until it went to Committee. Now that it has passed out of Committee
and is on its way to the full House, we'll eventually get to see the exact wording of the
amendment as the bill (HB 1468) moves forward.
If anyone has any doubts remaining that HSUS's ultimate goal is *criminalize* breeding
of any animal at any time, this move in Indiana should wake you up to the stark reality of
their true agenda.
LA- Limit of 50 Passed 2008
MD- Limit of 50 dogs for breeding purposes, if 10 or more intact dogs
over 4mos, then enclosure size and exercise reqts apply (at least 2 exercise periods of 2
hrs daily). Criminal charges if vague requirements not followed to (whose?) satisfaction.
HB 495/SB318 http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/bills/hb/hb0495f.pdf
Hearing on HB 495 scheduled Feb 12th, SB 318 Feb 18th
MN- 50 total dog limit,SF 5. Then SF 201 Limit of 5 breedable females
for hobby/small breeders. Over that, rules to be made after law passes. Hearing Jan 27
2009.
NE - Limit of 75 for commercial breeders, engineering standards for
kennels. Adds ventilation, fire suppression, other reqts.
LB 677 http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LB677.pdf
Hearing was to be Feb 3
NH - Must have 60 day license if selling over 1 dog/cat/year, limit
2/year, state already has licensing for commercial breeders.
HB 337 http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HB0337.html
Hearing Feb 11
NY - Limit of 75 dogs if breeder wants to sell or transfer any.
S 518 http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S00518&sh=t
OK - Limit of 25 transferred/given away/sold without license, out of
state also requires dealer lic.
HB 1332 http://www.okvma.org/associations/2557/files/2PQA2009HB1332.pdf
Out of committee on 2/10 for full house vote
OR- Standards of care for commercial breeders must be followed by
anyone w/10 or more intact dogs over 4 mos, 25 intact dog cap. Anyone raising more than 3
litters or selling more than 20 dogs or pups/year is a "pet dealer." Lots of vet
requirements, record keeping, lemon law, criminal charges if you don't get everything just
right...
HB 2470 - http://landru.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures/hb2400.dir/hb2470.intro.html
TN- License required over 20 female dogs, limit of 75, euthanasia must
be done by vet.
SB 258 http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/106/Bill/SB0258.pdf
VA- License required if 30/year owned for breeding, limit of 50 for
breeding. Sets rules, requires inspections. Local option for higher limit.
HB 538 http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?081+ful+CHAP0852
Passed, effective from 1/1/9
WA- Limit of 25 intact dogs, enclosure and exercise rules kick in at
10 intact dogs. Daily exercise period, ventilation, fire suppression, temperature, and
other reqts.
SB5651 http://tinyurl.com/dasx8h
HB1936 http://tinyurl.com/al9krl
WI- Bill in rough draft being sent to legislators for support.
Regulations for those who sell more than 100 dogs in a year. Rules to be made after the
law passes. The 100 number can decrease at anytime during the law making process.
11/20/08: Waxman ousts Dingell as chair
11/13/08: Help retain John Dingell as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee
Provided by Susan Wolf, Director Sportsmen and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
- http://saova.org
Dear Sportsmen and Animal Owning Friends,
Washington based anti-hunter and anti-dog breeder legislators need to be repulsed in
the next few days or we may lose our strongest DC supporter with devastating long-term
impacts. California anti's led by Rep. Henry Waxman are attempting to topple Rep. John
Dingell as House Energy and Commerce chairman. Rep. Waxman, from Beverly Hills, is an
ultra liberal who has voted for *EVERY* Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) measure since
1996. That's right, 100% on two anti-hobby dog breeding bills, five anti-hunting bills,
ten+ ill-considered livestock measures and scores more. Nearly all these bills failed, due
to moderates such as John Dingell speaking and voting against them....[read more]
10/31/08: HSUSA begins animal welfare campaign in
Minnesota
Provided by Representative Frank Moe, Minnesota
Hello SDC and fellow mushers,
I just received the following letter (text) at my legislative
email. I’ve heard that a Humane Society USA office has opened in Saint Paul and
apparently this is the beginning of their animal welfare campaign in Minnesota. They are
well funded and will aggressively lobby the legislature, especially the more liberal urban
legislators. We need to be pre-emptive and contact our legislators. I won’t be
seeking re-election so will have to help fight this one as a citizen.
There are two things that I hope we can do to proactively address this:
The first would be for all of us to telephone our own State
Representative and Senator. Try and have a positive conversation about mushing and how we
care for our dogs. Those of us who are Mush With Pride members, or work towards those
principles, can stress that. Ask that they oppose legislation that would harm
Minnesota’s mushing tradition and that if they see legislation to contact you
directly to discuss it. Don’t hesitate to contact them again as the HSUSA effort
continues.
- Maybe we can also highlight Mush With Pride at our races and events attempting to get
positive press around how meticulous we are about our dog care. Hopefully all of our
mushing organizations can focus some of their attention on addressing this issue and stay
ahead of it.
Minnesota House and Senate Web sites to find the phone numbers of your Representative
and Senator:
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us
| http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us
Thank You,
Frank Moe, Bemidji, Minnesota
Here is the text of letter I received today:
Dear Representative Moe,
Because of a practice known as animal tethering, "man's best friend" suffers
needlessly and has risked becoming a danger to the public in many communities. In this
year alone, at least six children have died from tethered dog injuries and another 13 have
sustained serious injuries from chained dog attacks.
Please work to put in place ordinances that ban or severely restrict tethering in our
state. Many communities across the United States have already passed legislation to
prohibit the tethering animals for the following reasons:
- Federal health and veterinary experts agree that chaining causes attacks. The
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Task Force on Canine Aggression and
Human-Canine Interactions explicitly advises, "Never tether or chain your dog,
because this can contribute to aggressive behavior."
- Chained Dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs not tethered.
According to a study partly authored by two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) physicians, chained dogs were 2.8 times more likely to attack than dogs who were not
tethered.
- Children are the most common victims of chained-dog attacks. According to research
presented by Karen Delise, author of "Fatal Dog Attacks," 79 percent of the 431
people killed by dogs in the United States between 1965 and 2001 were children under the
age of 12.
In addition to having their social needs ignored, many chained dogs are deprived of
proper food and water, shelter and veterinary care. And chained dogs - like all animals
who are left outside and unsupervised - are susceptible to the violent acts of passersby.
Please make sure our communities are safe for the people and dogs who live here by banning
dog-chaining in our state.
Sincerely, XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX
11/17/08: Michigan Breeder Bill
Update
Provided by Joe Gutowski
I wanted to forward to you a copy of the response I received to a letter I sent to my
Michigan State Representative regarding my opposition to the Michigan Breeder Bill –
Michigan House Bill 6395.
In his attached response he states “My staff has contacted the office from which
this legislation originated and has been assured that this bill will soon be
withdrawn.”
The entire E-Mail from Michigan State Representative John Stahl follows.
Dear Joe,
Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns about HB 6395 concerning the
licensing of animal sellers. Please forgive our oversight in not responding sooner. I
appreciate your taking the time to bring this to my attention.
My staff has contacted the office from which this legislation originated and has
been assured that this bill will soon be withdrawn. The representative who authored the
bill is considering a more appropriate approach to the problem of the selling of pets from
people's automobile trunks, etc.
Thank you again for writing. It is through the alertness of people like you that
unwise legislation is stopped or corrected.
If I can be of any further assistance in matters of state government, please do not
hesitate to contact my office again.
Sincerely, John Stahl
9/4/08: Michigan Breeder Bill Introduced -
House Bill 6395
From AKC's Government Relations Department
Yesterday, Representative Bill Caul of Mt. Pleasant introduced Michigan House Bill
6395, which proposes to strictly regulate virtually all responsible dog breeders. It is
imperative that all concerned responsible dog breeders in Michigan contact the members of
the House Agriculture Committee, which currently has cognizance of the bill, and their
elected Representatives and express their vehement opposition to this bill.
The American Kennel Club opposes the concept of breeding permits, breeding bans, or
mandatory spay/neuter of purebred dogs. Instead, we support reasonable and enforceable
laws that protect the welfare and health of purebred dogs and do not restrict the rights
of breeders and owners who take their responsibilities seriously.
If adopted, HB 6395 would:
- Define anyone who sells or offers for sale more than two dogs per year, or more than one
litter of dogs per year, as a “pet seller.”
- Mandate that those who qualify as pet sellers to acquire an annual pet seller license
from their county animal control shelter at a cost of $200/year.
- Require an applicant for a pet seller license to submit his or her fingerprints with a
license application for a criminal history and FBI background check.
- Give discretion to county animal control shelters to deny applications for pet seller
licenses, regardless of outcome of background investigation.
- Call for pet sellers to comply with administrative rules regarding housing that will be
financially detrimental to responsible breeders who operate out of their homes.
What You Can Do:
Michigan residents should contact the members of the House Agriculture Committee listed
below and their elected Representatives and express their strong opposition to this
onerous legislation.
Michigan House Agriculture Committee:
Representative Jeff Mayes, Chairman
S1285 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-8881
Phone: 517-373-0158
jeffmayes@house.mi.gov |
Representative Barb Byrum, Majority Vice-Chair
S1086 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-9430
Phone: 517-373-0587
barbbyrum@house.mi.gov |
Representative Kathy Angerer
S0989 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-7757
Phone: 517-373-1792
kathyangerer@house.mi.gov |
Representative Terry L. Brown
S1188 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-9852
Phone: 517-373-0476
terrybrown@house.mi.gov |
Representative Kathleen Law
S0787 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-5922
Phone: 517-373-0855
kathleenlaw@house.mi.gov |
Representative Gabe Leland
S0689 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-5985
Phone: 517-373-6990
gabeleland@house.mi.gov |
Representative Joel Sheltrown
S1387 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-5495
Phone: 517-373-3817
joelsheltrown@house.mi.gov |
Representative Howard Walker
S1388 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-9420
Phone: 517-373-1766
howardwalker@house.mi.gov |
Representative Neal Nitz
N1097 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-5918
Phone: 517-373-1796
nealnitz@house.mi.gov |
Representative Richard Ball
S1189 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-7937
Phone: 517-373-0841
richardball@house.mi.gov |
Representative Arlan B. Meekhof
N1193 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Fax: 517-373-9830
Phone: 517-373-0838
arlanbmeekhof@house.mi.gov |
|
To find your Michigan State Representative, click here.
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at (919)
816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org
12/18/07: Senate passes Farm Bill -- PAWS provisions stripped from Durbin's
amendment
Senator Durbin introduced an amendment containing the provisions of PAWS 2005 to the
2007 Farm Bill, but language pertaining to USDA regulation and third-party inspection of
dog breeders has been dropped.
8/21/07: Minnesota
Responsible Animal Owners Alliance
MRAOA is what used to be known as Minnesota Council of Dog Clubs....We were formed to
protect the rights of responsible animal owners, and to be involved on their behalf on all
levels of legislative concerns in Minnesota....including public education and awareness of
animal issues throughout the state.....
For more information feel free to call Al (651) 788-7711 or email mraoa@minncdc.org
8/15/07: Michigan Senate Bill 0626 (2007) »
Thanks to Monica Magnusson for providing the following clarification from Alan L.
Cropsey.
Dear Ms. Magnusson:
Thank you for contacting my office regarding Senate Bill 626, which I introduced to
prohibit certain dog racing in Michigan.
The legislation is aimed at strengthening the prohibition on Greyhound racing and
gambling. While this activity is currently illegal in the state, the penalty associated
with hosting or participating in such an activity is very low. It could be profitable to
host greyhound race and pay the fine under current law. This bill would create a fine of
$5,000 per occurrence and up to 93 days of jail time, raising the fine to a level that
will serve as a greater deterrent.
As introduced, the bill is fairly broad and there is concern about it impacting dog
shows or other positive dog sports, such as sled dog, flyball or agility events. I will
work with my colleagues in the senate to narrow the language in the bill before it moves
out of committee to apply only to greyhound racing and gambling.
Thank you again for you concerns and your attention to this issue. I appreciate your
insight and comments.
Thank you,
Alan L. Cropsey
Senate Majority Floor Leader
33rd State Senate District
8/14/07: Michigan Senate Bill 0626 (2007) »
A bill to prohibit certain dog races; to prohibit the simulcasting of certain dog
races; and to prescribe penalties.
Note: Update on MI anti-dog racing bill
The Michigan Association for Pure Bred Dogs and the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation
have been aware of Michigan HB 626 since it was introduced on June 27, 2007.
The bill states, "A person shall not hold, conduct, or operate dog racing for
public exhibition." We have discussed the implication of the bill with the bill's
sponsor (Sen. Alan Cropsey and his staff.) It would prohibit public exhibition of any dog
racing activity such as sled dog races, lure coursing, coonhound water and land races, and
fly ball races among other recreational dog racing activities.
The sponsor is now aware of the unintended consequences of this bill and has promised
to consult with the dog owners before any action is taken. A similar bill was introduced
in the 1995-1996 session but was never enacted into law. MAPBD & MHDF will continue to
monitor any activity on this bill and continue to update the Michigan dog fancy.
Michigan residents may communicate their remarks to:
Senator Alan Cropsey
P.O.Box 30036, Room S-8 Capitol Building
Lansing, MI 48909
E-mail: senacropsey@senate.michigan.gov
Telephone: (517) 373-3760
Fax: 517-373-8661
Further information on the status of the bill can be obtained by
contacting:
Dr. Al W. Stinson
Director of Legislative Affairs
Michigan Association for Pure Bred Dogs
Michigan Hunting Dog Federation
Telephone: 517-655-5363
E-mail: LSFC2@aol.com
7/11/07: California AB 1634 Pulled From Committee!
1/26/07: www.sleddogcentral.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7553
There is ongoing conversation and suggestions at the above link.
1/20/07: Proposed legislation would affect all sporting/working
kennels in Minnesota. SF0121
Provided by August Galloway
A bill was just introduced to the Minnesota Senate that could potentially effect all of
us, the rules on kennels (tethering, housing, feeding, spaying, debarking, licensing,
etc.) would be too much for most of us to continue to exist.
Please read the bill, get hold of your legislatures NOW, and do the following advice
from a past musher who is now a lawyer:
"You should call Tony Lourey. He is the vice chair of the committee that is
considering this bill. He knows farm type issues and should be supportive. His number is
651.296.0293. He is new and his mother is Becky Lourey. Tell him that the bill should be
killed or that mushing kennels should be exempted. The problem is that the committee that
has this bill is full of legislators that would support this kind of bill. Second, keep on
tracking the bill by signing up for “my bills” alerts on the legislative web
site."
The link to look up the bill is:
http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S0121.0.html&session=ls85
from that link you can also look up your Legislator.
Note: Gail Huntley, who is a sled dog advocate (BG board member) a lobbyist and August
will be meeting with the author of the bill on Monday (Jan 22nd). He has asked for
ideas of why and how the mushers should be exempt from this bill.
Contribute your ideas and suggestions through SDC Talk at
http://Forum.SledDogCentral.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7553
or provide feedback directly to August at team_galloway@yahoo.com
SAOVA Update - 5/24/06
The antis have achieved two milestone victories on each Coast and
appear on the verge of a third in Sacramento.
SAOVA Alert - 3/7/06
Virginia HB339
- Need Veto Help on First in the Nation Statewide Dogowner Database Requirement
New
York State Bill A09744 - 2/24/06
A proposal that would limit the amount of time a dog could be tethered to 6 hours
in a 24 hour period and would require a 15 foot chain, etc. when tethered.
It is a poorly written law and will affect most sled dog owners in NY
state.
Contacts:
Bill Sponsor: Senator McKee, mageew@assembly.state.ny.us Phone: 518-455-4807
Roy Mcdonald, Ag Committee, Phone:518-747-7098
Helpful Senator Betty Little, http://www.senatorlittle.com/send_email.asp
Phone: 518-455-2811.
Polk County, Wisconsin Proposed Animal
Control Ordinance - 1/19/2007
The proposed Animal Control Ordinance was defeated on a vote of 20 to 3 at
the December 2006 Polk County Board meeting. Most of the credit for this defeat is due to
the incredible support of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters whose members showed up meeting after
meeting with bodies and voices.
Federal PAWS Bill
Federal legislation introduced by Senator Rick Santorum (PA). PAWS - the Pet Animal
Welfare Statute - is the third incarnation of the failed Puppy Protection Act from
previous attempts to bring home breeding and rescue under USDA regulations.
Congress urged to support
higher funding for RTP - 6/14/05
Funding for the Recreational Trails Program through Fiscal Year 2009 depends on action
now!
Wisconsin: AB 247 - Updated 5/21/05
This bill would change the date that the purchase of dog licenses would incur a late fee
Wisconsin: AB 363 - 5/11/05
This bill will protect you from insurance companies who refuse to write policies,
refuse to renew policies and/or charge increased premiums for dog owners.
Connecticut: HB6543- Updated 5/10/05
An Act Concerning Homeowners and Tenants Insurance Underwriting Based on Breed of Dog
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