Monday, February 06, 2006
Animal Sheltering Services Bill Passes Senate
It was no surprise that the Animal Sheltering Services Act, SB 122, passed the Senate with no opposition today. This is the third time it has passed that body and the second where it was unanimous. (the first year there were some politically motivated opposing votes).
The bill now goes to the House, which has already begun to discuss the issue...kind of. HB 227 was passed by the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee with no discussion. During a short session like this, the legislators often focus on discussing matters that need discussing and simply passing those that have universal approval. Everyone knows that our animal shelters are overwhelmed with homeless dogs and cats and need support.
The Senate also passed SB 157 which prohibits computer assisted hunting. Again, an easy issue. No one thinks you should be able to log onto your computer and kill an animal. Plus, the Wild Friends are behind this and that group of young people is a lobbying force to be reckoned with. Hopefully there are a few future legislators among them!
Then there are those so-called controversial issues, like cockfighting. Senate Rules Committee had told us SM 10, declaring cockfighting the state disgrace, would be on the agenda for Monday morning. Well, it wasn't and isn't on the agenda for Wednesday either. Please help us by calling the committee and asking for a hearing date. The number is 986-4746.
The bill now goes to the House, which has already begun to discuss the issue...kind of. HB 227 was passed by the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee with no discussion. During a short session like this, the legislators often focus on discussing matters that need discussing and simply passing those that have universal approval. Everyone knows that our animal shelters are overwhelmed with homeless dogs and cats and need support.
The Senate also passed SB 157 which prohibits computer assisted hunting. Again, an easy issue. No one thinks you should be able to log onto your computer and kill an animal. Plus, the Wild Friends are behind this and that group of young people is a lobbying force to be reckoned with. Hopefully there are a few future legislators among them!
Then there are those so-called controversial issues, like cockfighting. Senate Rules Committee had told us SM 10, declaring cockfighting the state disgrace, would be on the agenda for Monday morning. Well, it wasn't and isn't on the agenda for Wednesday either. Please help us by calling the committee and asking for a hearing date. The number is 986-4746.
