Some good news for us California residents: SB250, the mandatory spay/neuter bill, has been suspended at this point. This doesn’t mean that we can stop writing letters; it just means that for now the bill isn’t being voted on, and the state legislature has gone on vacation until September. Also, the California Finance Dept opposes SB 250 because of the large amount of money it would take to fund it. AB 241, which would make it a minor offense for any person to have more then a combined total of 50 intact animals (dogs and cats), is another one we have to keep our eye on. Although this bill is extremely vague, and would therefore probably be challenged in court if it passed, it is still very important that we write to our senate committees. Please remember that every letter counts, and please keep writing; this is our future at stake.
North Carolina is fighting SB 460, which seeks unreasonable regulations on dog breeders, and is likely going to be heard by the full Senate this week. Hope those letters have been sent out!
In Ohio, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard HB 124, yet no actions were taken. This bill was temporarily put on hold due to Ohio’s budget crisis.
I know that there are a lot of other bills being voted on now in other states, and I’d like to be able to provide a complete listing with status and updates, but I really need other juniors to help me gather this information. I’m still hoping to hear from juniors in every state who can take on the responsibility of keeping up-to-date on their state’s actions. And remember: now is not the time to take a vacation from writing your letters; summer is a perfect time to be contacting your legislators’ offices while they are away. As you can see, this group can’t be kept together without other people involved, so PLEASE contact me for ways you can help out. Without your help we will get nowhere in our fight! E-mail me at quailrdgk@cs.com
Please look out for the YFAW website – it will be up by the end of August!