Legislative Priority – this week – HB 1624 (Breeder Restrictions & Requirements)
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
UPCOMING ISSUES:
Stay tuned to the DOGS legislative updates on other bills.
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.
