There is only one bill this week. HB 594 – establishing a registry for persons convicted of animal cruelty.
It is best if you call or write the legislators. The committee’s name in the Upcoming Hearing section is linked to their web page which has a link to email the entire committee. Remember to copy your representatives. You can find their addresses here.
Also, at the end of this newsletter, is the mail addresses for the Environment and Agriculture Committee. It only takes a postcard to write each member and say you oppose HB594 as unnecessary and burden to law enforcement (or use whatever reason you feel comfortable with) and ask that they kill it. Include your name and town at the end.
In the House, emails are not considered part of the permanent record. Please remember to copy DOGS (dogs.nh@gmail.com) on your emails so we can bring a hard copy to the hearing.
***Upcoming Hearings***
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017
The House Environment and Agriculture Committee, Room 303, Legislative Office Building
- 1:00 p.m. HB 594 – establishing a registry for persons convicted of animal cruelty.
Bills of Interest
HB 594 – establishing a registry for persons convicted of animal cruelty
STATUS: Hearing on Feb.14, 2017, Room 303 Legislative Office Building, 1 p.m.
DOGS POSITION: Opposed
This bill would create a public registry, similar to the sex offenders registry, of all people convicted of animal cruelty. Anyone, convicted in another state, is required to register within 10 days of moving to NH. HB 594 is a duplicate of the 2011 bill, HB526, which the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted Inexpedient to Legislate by a 15-0 vote. From the 2011 House Calendar:
This bill, if passed, would be a drain on the financial and personal resources of the state and in particular the department of safety (DOS). This bill would require a substantial financial investment funded by taxpayers and cause added expenses to local police departments and law enforcement agencies. There is no evidence that such a registry is necessary and in fact law enforcement officials already have resources from which they can determine prior records of arrest and conviction of any person, in the state, or out of state. Vote 15-0.
DOGS is opposed to the present bill for the following reasons:
- It includes both misdemeanor and felony convictions rather than concentrating on egregious cases
- Many animal cruelty cases in NH involve animal hoarders. Hoarding is a recognized mental illness and these people need treatment not public shaming and ostracizing.
- Registries are expensive to create and costly to maintain. Please see the Fiscal Note at the end of the bill for the estimated costs including the design and maintenance of the list. These costs would fall on New Hampshire taxpayers.
- This registry would remove any incentive for someone accused of animal cruelty to entertain a plea bargain increasing costs for towns, shelters, and the taxpayers.
House Environment and Agriculture Committee members
| O’Connor | John | 13 Arrowhead Road | Derry | NH | 03038-3715 | |
| Gordon | Richard | 4 Burnt Swamp Road | East Kingston | NH | 03827-2102 | |
| Bixby | Peter | 69 Glenwood Avenue | Dover | NH | 03820-2305 | |
| Turcotte | Alan | 3 High Ridge Trail | Allenstown | NH | 03275-2128 | |
| Darrow | Stephen | 463 Slab City Road | Grafton | NH | 03240-3831 | |
| Khan | Aboul | 3 Greenleaf Drive | Seabrook | NH | 03874-4045 | |
| Scruton | Matthew | 195 Ten Rod Road | Rochester | NH | 03867-4246 | |
| Comtois | Barbara | PO Box 186 | Center Barnstead | NH | 03225-0186 | |
| Copp | Anne | 41 Sheldon Road | Danbury | NH | 03230-4833 | |
| Dyer | Caleb | 122 Old Bridge Street | Pelham | NH | 03076-5705 | |
| Maloney | Michael | PO Box 45 | Gilmanton | NH | 03237-0045 | |
| Pearl | Howard | 409 Loudon Ridge Road | Loudon | NH | 03307-1708 | |
| Verville | Kevin | 9 McCarron Road | Deerfield | NH | 03037-1729 | |
| Francese | Paula | 6 Granite Street | Exeter | NH | 03833-3128 | |
| Ellis | Donna | 488 Portland Street | Rochester | NH | 03867-2424 | |
| Fenton | Donovan | 6 Kendall Road | Keene | NH | 03431-5212 | |
| Frost | Sherry | 103 Mast Road | Dover | NH | 03820-4452 | |
| Gourgue | Amanda | 61 Thompson Mill Road | Lee | NH | 03861-4420 | |
| Richards | Beth | 3 Willard Street | Concord | NH | 03303-3509 | |
| Sofikitis | Catherine | 54 Marshall Street | Nashua | NH | 03060-4622 |
