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

 

2017 Legislative Update #4
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