News
California Citizens Lobby for the Humane Treatment of Animals
February 20, 2009, 12:16PM MT
By Cheri Moon
Bills on puppy/cat mills, dog fighting, animal-abuse-penalties outlined
Bills on puppy/cat mills, dog fighting, animal-abuse-penalties outlined
By Barbara Medline, Best Friends Volunteer
Concerned citizens came by the dozens from across the state of California to the Humane Society of the United States Humane Lobby Day in Sacramento, California, on Thursday, February 12.
News From California Legislators
Senator Dean Florez, Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the Senate Food and Agriculture Committee addressed the HSUS “Citizen Lobbyists” delivering an encouraging message. He informed us that the Vet Tax/Fido Fine is no longer a part of the 2009 California Budget Initiative. This means already financially strapped people and shelters will not incur additional and potentially prohibitive costs to provide basic care for their animals.
Senator Florez also emphasized the importance of the passage of Proposition 2 beyond its face value. In 2008, California voters approved an historic ballot to halt the inhumane confinement of animals on factory farms by an overwhelming margin. Its passage by 63%—with supporters even in agricultural areas— “turned the capitol upside down.” The people of California have the legislature’s attention for the humane treatment of animals.
Assemblyman Pedro Nava held a press conference on the Capitol steps introducing three animal rights bills:
1. Responsible Breeder Act (AB241) would limit the number of intact dogs or cats at any one facility to 50.
2. Strengthen California’s Dog Fighting Law (AB242) makes being a fight spectator a felony.
3. Ban convicted felons of animal-related crimes from owning or being in contact with animals for a specified period of time (AB243).
Assemblyman Nava’s bills can be read in full in an article by Malcolm Maclachlan the February 12th issue of Capitol Weekly.
Proposed Puppy Mill Legislation
The Humane Society of the United States, Social Compassion in Legislation, and the ASPCA describe the proposed puppy mill bill in its current state as follows:
The Responsible Breeder Act of 2009 (Nava - AB241) will help curb pet over population, prevent the inherent cruelty and poor welfare associated with high-volume breeding, and will save the state money by limiting the number of intact dogs and cats a seller can maintain.
A single puppy mill “bust” can result in significant taxpayer expense as the costs of shelter, food, and vet care for animals that are typically abused and neglected can add up to thousands of dollars within weeks. A puppy mill bust last year where 249 animals were rescued cost a state $440,000 in addition to the approximately $70,000 funded by humane organizations. It is clear that puppy mills are a humane crisis as well as a financial one. Large scale breeders create stress on animal shelters and our communities. In 2007, nearly one million dogs and cats landed in California animal shelters, of whom approximately half were euthanized at a cost of nearly $250 million. The financial impact of large scale breeding facilities to the state and its constituents is clearly significant.
How You Can Help
• We can all be citizen lobbyists. It can be as simple as forwarding a form email, a quick phone call to your representative or asking friends to vote for animals during every election. These actions really do make a difference.
• Tips for writing an effective letter to legislators provided by Defending Dogs.
• Attend organized events or meet individually with your elected representatives in their local or state offices. They work for you and are happy to listen.
• Find your California legislatures and who is working for you.
**Best Friends Animal Society has not taken a position of support of opposition to this (these) piece(s) of legislation. For more information on how animal legislation is reported on the Best Friends Network, click here.
Photograph by Carrie Jones
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff