The Legislature is on its winter vacation break until March 1st.
Recent Legislative Action -
HB 1417: allowing companion dogs in certain areas of restaurants. Passed the House.
HB 1596: changes the time period by 15 days during which dog owners who have failed to license their dogs shall be notified of the civil forfeiture of each unlicensed dog and increases the warrant fee from $5 to $10. Killed by the House.
NH LEGISLATIVE ACTION
HB 1639 (Dog Tethering Requirements & Unlawful Taking) – House Criminal Justice Committee Votes.
On February 11th, the House Criminal Justice Committee voted to recommend the bill Inexpedient to Legislative in a 13-2 vote. Rep. Larry Gagne from Manchester made the motion. Representatives McCarthy and Chandley voted against the motion to recommend killing the bill. The bill will likely be voted on by the full House on February 24th.
Many thanks to all who prepared and presented testimony and signed in opposed as well as those who sent letters. The members of this committee are becoming more knowledgeable about animal issues because of your involvement.
HB 1624: placing undue restrictions on dog breeders and owners under the guise of eliminating “puppy mills”. Killed in the House on February 10th.
DOGS is grateful for all the time and thought that members put into making contacts with legislators on this bill. Not only did our position on the bill prevail but the messages helped create a better understanding among legislators about our issues. Read more…
The N.H. House voted to kill HB 1624 (breeder restrictions). The vote was 318-25. Thank you to everyone who contacted the committee members with your concerns about this bill.
From the N.H. House Calender:
HB 1624-FN, relative to the care and treatment of dogs by breeders within the state. MAJORITY: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE. MINORITY: OUGHT TO PASS.
Rep. Warren J Groen for the Majority of Environment and Agriculture: Although amendments have been introduced to try to make this better legislation, this bill is overreaching and unnecessary with too many unintended consequences. Everyone on the committee abhors the thought of a puppy mill in New Hampshire. This is a very emotional issue for everyone, however, we must reserve the discussion to the facts. There have been only five cited cases of “puppy mills” in New Hampshire over the course of the past ten years. This bill will place undue restrictions on breeders and dog owners alike. The rules that would be applied are very generic and not breed specific, thus, dog owners could be charged with cruelty to their pets. Cruelty laws are already in existence in RSA 644:8, making this legislation unnecessary. Local animal control and law enforcement have the authority to remedy any abuses that may arise. Vote 12-1.
Rep. Susan E Wiley for the Minority of Environment and Agriculture: Given that the existing legislation does not require that dog breeders exercise or socialize their dogs, there is a need to add language to existing statute that would allow for enforcement of minimal acceptable standards for housing and husbandry. The minority felt this bill was a first step
The House Criminal Justice Committee has scheduled HB 1639 for a committee vote on February 9th or 11th. This clearly indicates that there will not be a subcommittee convened to discuss the bill further. HB1639 adds a new section to the animal cruelty laws that sets specific requirements for dog tethering. It also amends RSA 644:8, IV-a(a), the animal cruelty statute, to allow an animal, suspected of being abused or neglected, to be taken into custody without a warrant.
If you have not already sent a note to the members of the House Criminal Justice Committee, there are still a few days to remind them of the problems inherent in the bill and why it should be recommended “Inexpedient to Legislate” (Killed). It is also a good time to start contacting your local representative to inform them about the bill and the need to for it to be voted “Inexpedient to Legislate”. Your local legislator and their contact information can be found here.
HB 1624: Breeder restrictions. On February 10th, the House will vote on the committee recommendation of “Inexpedient to Legislate”. Representative Groen stated in his report in the House Record describing why the committee voted 12-1 for this recommendation, “This bill will place undue restrictions on breeders and dog owners alike. The rules that would be applied are very generic and not breed specific, thus, dog owners could be charged with cruelty to their pets. Cruelty laws are already in existence in RSA 644:8, making this legislation unnecessary. Local animal control and law enforcement have the authority to remedy any abuses that may arise.” It is unlikely that the committee recommendation will be overturned during the House floor vote and DOGS appreciates those who contacted their local representatives to help insure that the bill will be killed.
On January 28th, the House Environment Committee voted 12-1 to send HB 1624 to the house floor with the recommendation of “Inexpedient to Legislate”. Rep. Susan Wiley was the only vote in favor of the bill. Representatives Gandia, Knox, Tucker and Poznanski were not present. Representative Allen noted that a couple of the letters he received from supporters were identical but he received more letters from opponents that noted a variety of objections.
NEXT STEPS Read more…
This past week, two bills that would restrict the rights of dog breeders and animal owners had legislative public hearings. Many thanks to all who prepared and presented testimony and signed in opposed as well as those who sent letters. No matter what the outcome of the bill, we can be very proud of our articulate messages, engaging presentations and knowledgeable demeanor. Feedback indicates that the legislators were impressed and became more informed.
Those who testified are encouraged to send a note to the committee members thanking them for listening to your concerns and offering to provide any further information to address any concerns or questions.
Supporters of the bills are reaching out work on amendments. HB 1639 and HB 1624 NEED TO BE KILLED – amendments to make the bills “better” are not an option as the bills are totally flawed, unjustified and lack funding for enforcement. If the bills were to be passed with exceptions for certain breeds or activities, the supporters would only return to the legislature in the future to remove the exceptions.
At this time neither bill has been scheduled for a subcommittee meeting by the respective committees. The House Environment & Agriculture Committee may vote on the bill during their executive session on January 28th. Stay tuned for more updates.
Your local legislator and their contact information can be found at here.
HB 1639 adds a new section to the animal cruelty laws that sets specific requirements for dog tethering. It also amends RSA 644:8, IV-a(a), the animal cruelty statute, to allow an animal, suspected of being abused or neglected, to be taken into custody without a warrant.
House Criminal Justice Committee Members.
HB 1624 is proposed as a bill to stop “puppy mills” but it will impose unnecessary and onerous requirements on responsible dog owners and breeders. Education about and enforcement of the current laws, such as the requirement of a health certificate and the veterinary medical practice act, would be more effective than HB 1624 . The Dept. of Agriculture rules (AGR 1702) referenced in the bill can be found at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/state_agencies/agr1700.html
House Environment and Agriculture Committee Members
HB 1624 is proposed as a bill to stop “puppy mills” but it will impose unnecessary and onerous requirements on responsible dog breeders.
If you have not sent a letter out to the members of the House Environment & Agriculture Committee in opposition to HB 1624 – Please do so immediately – and make sure to personalize it (begin with a different sentence than the draft provided in our previous email alert. For example: I am writing to ask, please pay attention to HB 1624, etc). Ask others in your network of contacts to send a letter and to fashion in their own words using any of our talking points that pertain to them.
NEXT STEP: Please plan to attend the public hearing (see time and location below). You can sign in opposed to speak or not to speak. If speaking, please contact Yvonne Nanasi, DOGS Legislative Consultant for assistance with your statement and advice about testifying at public hearings.
LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED:
House Environment & Agriculture Committee
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 1PM in Room 308
of the Legislative Office Bldg. in Concord
HB 1639: adds tethering of dogs for extended periods of time to the definition of criminal animal cruelty. More to come on the analysis of this bill next week.
HB 1417: allowing companion dogs in certain areas of restaurants.
HB 1525: relative to physical therapists practicing on animals.
HB 1562: Renames service dogs as assistance dogs, Provides an option for assistance dogs wear an identifying tag, Allows the advisory council on emergency preparedness to use New Hampshire assistance dog identification tag registration information to prepare for emergencies. The bill as introduced was requested for amendment by the sponsor to make the tag optional. . The NH Dept. of Emergency Preparedness, the NH Municipal Assn. and the NH Town Clerks’ Assn. have concerns with the bill. DOGS provided information to the sponsor and the Health & Human Services Committee at the public hearing that the bill has serious conflicts with the Federal Disabilities law that need to be resolved even if the tab is optional. The sponsor and committee members were very appreciative of DOGS’s input.
The House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on HB1562 – relative to assistance dogs. When: 2:30 p.m. Where: Room 205 of the Legislative Office Building, Concord
During the 2009 NH Legislative Session, DOGS earmarked some 20 bills that would impact ownership, breeding, training and working with dogs and other companion animals. Due to the involvement of our members voicing their concerns to legislators, all of the bills had favorable outcomes. The final dispositions of the major bills that we were involved in are summarized below.
DOGS is a NH non-profit organization and an American Kennel Club affiliated federation that represents NH dog and other companion animal owners. Our members are involved in all aspects of pet ownership. To become a supporting member of DOGS’ programs and our legislative advocacy efforts contact Joyce Arivella, DOGS President, at DOGS@NHdogs.org .
From the American Kennel Club
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