2012 Annual Humane Lobby Day at the Capitol

by Rachel | January 26, 2012 10:45 AM

Tuesday, January 17th, was Humane Lobby Day in the state of Florida! LCHS Staff members joined over 60 other animal advocates at the state capitol to meet with Florida lawmakers and urge them to support humane legislation; such as bills that would help fund local spay/neuter programs and stop forcing greyhound tracks to offer greyhound racing!

Below is a summary of the humane legislation currently making its way through the Florida House and Senate. If you would like to be an advocate for the animals and ecourage your legislators to support animal issues, simply contact them via the phone numbers and emails listed below for the Tallahassee/Big Bend Area. You can also track the bills on their journey through the House and Senate.

OPPOSE Senate Bill 818/House Bill 597 “Animal Rescue Act”

How can a bill that sounds so good be so BAD for the animals?

These proposed bills:

1. Are NOT supported by Humane Societies throughout Florida, Florida Animal Control Association (FACA), nor the Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations (FAAWO). The bills were created & presented by special interest groups.
2. Will reduce the amount of time a lost/stray animal is kept in the shelter thus reducing the chances of owners finding their lost pets
3. Will mandate the release of animals to rescue individuals/organizations (anywhere in the nation) without requiring any proof or history of their animal care experience.
4. May encourage or create the phenomena termed “rescue hoarding”. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal’s website, “research shows many hoarders are beginning to set themselves up as “rescue shelters”, complete with 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status
5. Currently in the State of Florida, there is no oversight of animal rescue groups. The registry established by this bill would not provide the oversight necessary to guarantee that every rescue groups on the list would be providing appropriate care that meets the “Standards of Care” recognized by the National Association of Shelter Veterinarians.
6. Mandates additional shelter programs and reporting from shelters, which will greatly increase their budget expenses. Some Florida cities have already calculated this cost to be well over $1 million for individual community animal shelters. This is an “unfunded mandate” as the proposed bill does not clarify how these funds will be raised for local animal shelters – cash strapped communities.
7. Will force shelters with limited space to double or triple the number of animals in cages, thus creating an environment for a greater spread of diseases.

SUPPORT SB 382 (Sachs) HB 641 (Young) Greyhound Racing Decoupling Removes mandatory minimum live greyhound racing requirements for dog tracks. Will reduce the number of dogs who endure lives of confinement and suffer injuries on racetracks.

SUPPORT SB 1078 (Braynon) HB 993 (T. Williams) Animal Fighting Clarifies the state’s felony prohibition on animal fighting equipment, adds animal fighting to the list of racketeering offenses, allowing statewide prosecutors to crack down on the animal cruelty and illegal gambling endemic to animal fighting.

SUPPORT SB 654 (Hays) HB 479 (O’Toole) Humane Euthanasia Prohibits intracardiac injection for euthanasia of conscious dogs and cats, allows shelters to access sedative drugs needed for fearful and fractious animals, improves rabies reporting requirements.

SUPPORT SB 488 (Rich) HB 527 (Randolph) Animal Spay/Neuter  Helps fund local spay/neuter through a $10 penalty on violators of animal cruelty and control ordinances.

SUPPORT SB 1002 (Bennett) Shark Finning Prohibits the cruel, unsustainable trade in shark fins, which are often removed from sharks’ bodies while the animals are still alive, their bodies thrown overboard where they may slowly perish. Helps protect shark populations from catastrophic loss.

SUPPORT SR 398 (Jones) HR #TBD (Pafford) Adopt-a-Shelter Pet Month Declares February 2012 Adopt-a-Pet Month, urges Florida citizens to adopt a shelter pet.

OPPOSE SB 1184 (Norman) HB 1021 (Albritton) Ag-Gag: Prohibits Filming on “Farms” Criminalizes employees or undercover investigators who photograph or videotape anything on “farms” without the owner’s written consent. Turns farms into havens for criminal activity, conceals animal abuse and threatens food safety.

House District 9
House Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda
Phone: (850) 488-0965
Email: michelle.rehwinkel@myfloridahouse.gov

House District 8
House Representative Alan Williams
Phone: (850) 488-1798
Email: alan.williams@myfloridahouse.gov

Senate District 6
Senator Bill Montford
Phone: (850) 487-5004
Email: montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov

Senate District 3
Senator Charlie Dean
Phone: (850) 487-5017
Email: dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov

If you have any questions, please contact LCHS at
(850) 224-9193 or email us.
Thank you for supporting Humane Legislation!

Tags: Humane Legislation