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Daily legislative activity pertaining to animals - 2010
FOHO note* 4 animal bills passed this session. Please note that the enrolled (final) version of the bills are provided here for your convenience. 4407 - the rabies bill, 4201 - Livestock standards board, 490 - domestic violence bill with protection for pets, 337- spay neuter adopted greyhounds.
March 17
HB 4407 (pdf enrolled version) which is the rabies bill was signed by the Governor today. The bill is effective 90 days from passage which was 3-8. Sylvia
March 12
HB 4201 (pdf enrolled version) passed today. This bill creates a Board that will create standards for the care of livestock. One of its members will be a Humane Society member. Sylvia
March 11
SB 490 (pdf enrolled version) passed the House today with amendments. I had not mentioned this bill as it a Domestic Violence bill. But the legislature is now doing something good for animals. This bill gives the animals involved protection. In part "prohibiting the respondent from taking, concealing, molesting, physically injuring, killing or otherwise disposing of the animal and limiting or precluding contact by the respondent with the animal."
SB 337 (pdf enrolled version) also passed today. This bill takes some proceeds from greyhound racing to spay/neuter Greyhounds adopted from race tracks. Another great step forward.
As a reminder, all bills must be signed by the Governor. Sylvia
FOHO note* These are good bills so we are very pleased they passed. We commend the legislature for passing these bills. If Comm. Gus Douglass of the Dept of Agriculture had not killed SB 225 (spay neuter), we feel certain it would have passed the house. It had already passed the Senate. The legislators understood that we needed this funding. Unfortunately, the opposition of the Dept of Agriculture sealed its fate. We may have lost this battle but not the war on this issue.
March 10
I guess I have been waiting for a miracle that did not happen.
SB 225 which would have created the Spay/Neuter Assistance has died. It was killed by the State Dept. of Agriculture.
HB 4407 changing the rabies law will be effective 90 days from the date of passage which was 3-8. A repeat vaccine must be given one year after the first one and then repeated in three years. Sylvia
March 8
HB 4407 which is a 3 year rabies law passed the legislature today. The bill will now go to the Governor for his signature. This is not a law until he signs the bill and I do not know the effective date. It is usually 90 days from passage. Sylvia
FOHO note* SB 225 will likely be put into interim study. The Dept of Agriculture has decided to oppose this bill aligning themselves with the Pet Food Industry rather than West Virginia Taxpayers. That resulted in the bill being pulled from the Agriculture Committee Agenda. The PFI (Petfood Institute) wrote a letter of opposition to SB 225 Friday, March 09. You will hear more about this later. SB 225 would have provided $106,000 for spay neuter assistance for low income West Virginians. This would have relieved the burden on our shelters and on taxpayers.
March 4
SB 225 Creating the Spay/Neuter Assistance Fund has been sent to House Agiculture committee. Please email Greg Butcher
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asking him to place SB 225 on his committee agenda. WV really needs this bill to pass so low income people can have their pets spayed or neutered. Please send the emails as soon as possible as the session is nearing the end.
SB 4407 the 3year rabies law has also been sent to Butcher. Please include this bill on your email. Thanks,Sylvia
FOHO note* We need to inundate Sen. Butcher with requests both phone and email to put SB 225 on the Agriculture Committee Agenda. Urge him to assist with our pet overpopulation problem. Use the points we listed on the newsflash above. Please convince him that we need some financial assistance to address this problem. Greg Butcher’s phone contact is (304) 340-3113. If you know anyone in Logan County have them contact Butcher too. We have 9 days to get this bill passed. Act now!
March 3
SB 225 passed the senate today and moves to the House
SB 695 passed the senate today and moves to the House
HB 4201 passed the House today and moves to the Senate
HB 4407 passed the House today and moves to the senate.
I will not know what committees these bills are assigned to until tomorrow. So we can do nothing today to help. Take a break until tomorrow. All other animal bills are dead. Sylvia
FOHO note* SB 225 passed the Senate with only one Senator voting against it (Sen. Sypolt)
March 2
SB 225 has now advanced to 3rd reading on 3-3 - this is the bill to fund statewide spay neuter in WV
SB 695 has now advanced to 3rd reading on 3-3
HB 4201 has now advanced to 3rd reading on 3-3
HB 4407 has now advanced to 3rd reading on 3-3
3rd reading is passage or failure
SB 337 which is a lottery bill that has included money for s/n of greyhounds adopted from the track passed the senate today and now moves to the House. It will retain the same bill number in the House. Sylvia
FOHO note* make sure you have contacted your Senator that you want SB 225 passed or any of the other bills passed so they can move to the house.
March 1
The second reading is the amendment stage.
The following bills have moved to 2nd reading on 3/2
SB 225
SB 695
HB 4201
Sylvia
FOHO note* : Information on SB 225 is provided to help you understand the bill and argue for its passage. Please contact your Senators telling them to support this legislation. Then we will start on the house. We have added the new substitute bill when there is one so you can use this bill in reading about changes from the introductory bills. All legislative contacts are listed to the left under Legislative Committees
February 25 & 26th
SB 380 the gamecock bill is dead.
HB 4333 the puppy mill bill is dead. These two bills were held in House Agriculture Comm. and not put on the agenda. The following is what is still alive.
Make a decision as to whether you support the following bills. Call or email your delegate or senator and ask him to pass the bill or to vote against it. Time is very short so you need to act now. All legislators are here on this site under Legislative Committees.
HB 4407 which is the 3 year rabies bill has been substituted and passed to the House floor. It is on 1st reading on Monday.
HB 4201 which is creating the Livestock Standards Board has been substituted and sent to the House floor.
SB 225 (PDF sub 2) creating the spay/neuter assistance fund passed out of Finance Committee and is on its way to the Senate floor. It is on 1st reading Monday. This is also a substitute bill. I support this bill.
SB 695 is changing the current rabies law from 2 years to 3 years. This bill is on first reading Monday. Email your senator abut the bills you support. Sylvia
Thanks, Sylvia
FOHO note* This needs to happen before February 25th. Please help or this bill will die since it has to be out of committee by Sunday, February 28th.
February 23
SB 695 originated in Senate Agriculture and is now going to move to Senate Judiciary. This bill amends the 2 year rabies law to 3 years. All bills had to be introduced by 2-22 unless they originate in a committee. Sylvia
FOHO note*
Sponsors:
Facemyer - Agriculture
Guills - Agriculture
Laird - Agriculture & Judiciary
Palumbo - Agriculture & Judiciary
Snyder - Agriculture & Judiciary
Sypolt - Agriculture
Unger - Agriculture
Williams - Vice Chair, Agriculture & member, Judiciary
White - Chair, Agriculture
February 19
HB 4407 passed out of the Agriculture Committee today with an amendment. This bill now moves to House Judiciary. This is a bill that changes our current rabies law. Sylvia
February 18
HB 4429 moved out of the House Agriculture Committee into the Judiciary committee. This bills adds a greater fine for injury to a horse or dog that is used by law enforcement.
Two new bills were introduced today. HB 4542 (PDF) which is a duplicate of what SB 225 looked like before it was amended and a sub written. Also a duplicate of HB 4406.
HB 4546 (PDF) is a bill relating to livestock in dire or extreme condition. This bill states that is county commission shall establish a livestock committee..
Both of the above bills are referenced to Agriculture and then to Judiciary. Sylvia
FOHO note* SB 225 is the bill establishing a statewide spay neuter assistance fund. FOHO appeared at the Judiciary Committee meeting today speaking for SB 225. Betty Burkett, Sylvia Shafer and Jay Miller were in attendance. They reported that this bill could generate upwards of $100,000 yearly for spay neuter assistance in WV. Currently, SNAP WV has awarded nearly $25,000 in spay neuter grants to 9 counties. Please contact Chairman Walt Helmick
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or call 304-357-7980 and ask him to place this bill on his committee agenda.
*FOHO note
Sponsors of HB 4546 (livestock in dire conditions)
D. Poling
Hartman
Azinger
Evans
Ross
Williams - Agriculture
Hamilton - Judiciary
Smith
Ellem - Judiciary Minority Chair
Border
Sponsors of 4542 (establishes a statewide Spay Neuter Assistance Fund)
Varner
Ferro - Judiciary Committee
Cann
Kominar
Hutchins - Judiciary
Fragale
February 15
HB 4333 is in trouble. The vice chair of House Agriculture is not placing the bill on his committee agenda. This is the very important PUPPY MILL BILL. Please email Greg Butcher
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asking him "Please place HB 4333 on the agenda for House Agriculture and pass the bill out of committee." Please send your emails as soon as possible. We need to flood his office with emails. Thanks, Sylvia
February 10
SB 380 (animal fighting) passed the Senate today with one vote against: Senator Fanning of McDowell County. This bill now moves to the House who cannot consider the bill until 3-3.
A new House bill was introduced today. HB 4429 (PDF) increases the financial penalties for causing injury to a horse or dog used by law enforcement. This bill goes first to the Agriculture Comm. and then to Judiciary.
*FOHO note
Sponsors of HB 4429 (police animal protection)
Phillips
Crozier
Frazier - Judiciary Committee
Longstreth - Judiciary
Mahan
Staggers
Guthrie - Agriculture
Hall - Agriculture
In your plea to delegates for passage of bill to establish the Spay Neuter Assistance Fund, use the recent statistics from the FOHO WV survey showing that in 2008, 49% of dogs and 77% of cats entering WV shelters were euthanized.
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WV Dog/Cat Euthanasia Statistics /11 shelters
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2008
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2008
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2008
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2008
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2008
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2008
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(PTS = Euthanasia)
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Dog intake
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Dogs PTS
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PTS %
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Cat intake
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Cats PTS
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PTS %
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Totals
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16823
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8310
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49%
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17725
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13707
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77%
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February 9
The sub bill for SB 380 will be up for passage or failure tomorrow. If you have not sent your senators an email, you need to send it today or tonight. This makes gamecock fighting a felony.
HB 4406 (PDF) was introduced today. This bill creates the Spay Neuter Assistance Fund. The bill has been sent to the House Agriculture Committee and then will go to Judiciary. This is a good bill and needs your support.
HB 4407 was introduced today. This bill changes the vaccine required to prevent rabies to three years from two years, it also creates a waiver for animals that cannot take the vaccine. Please read this bill. It also goes to Agriculture and then Judiciary. Sylvia
*FOHO note: HB 4406 is the companion bill to SB 225. It is the bill that provides ongoing funding for spay/neuter assistance in WV. FOHO is endorsing this bill. Please send emails to the House Agricultural Committee Members to get this bill on the agenda of that committee. You will find the contact information for these committee members on the left menu link for easy access.
HB 4406 sponsors
Manypenny – Taylor - Agriculture
Guthrie – Kanawha - Agriculture
Brown – Kanawha - Judiciary
Skaff - Kanawha - Judiciary
D. Walker – Clay
Rowen – Hampshire
Klempa – Ohio
Caputo – Marion - Agriculture, Judiciary
Mahan – Summers
HB 4407 Sponsors
Guthrie – Agriculture
Butche - Agriculture Vice Chair
Manypenny - Agriculture
February 5
SB 485 (PDF) was introduced today. Anyone in animal control who does seizures of abandoned or neglected animals needs to read this bill. It states that the officer must report animal seizure to magistrate court. This bill is in Senate Judiciary Committee. Sylvia
*FOHO note:
Sponsors of SB 485:
Sybolt
Barnes – Judiciary
Yost
Hall
Stollings – Judiciary
Boley
Chafin - Judiciary
February 4
SB 380 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon and is on its way to the Floor. This bill has been amended and I am sorry but you won't be able to read the changes for a couple of days. They have merged SB 208 (wagering) into SB 380 and reduced wagering and attending to a misdemeanor.
Please send emails to all of the senators in your district asking them to support and pass SB 380. This bill will be on the Floor tomorrow. We need to make gamecock fighting a felony. All other animal fighting is already a felony.
HB 4333 (PDF) was also introduced today and it is a great bill: Commercial dog breeding operations. We should support this bill. Please read and if you agree, send an email to the chair of the House Agriculture Committee Sam Argento
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. Argento is on sick live so please send another email to the vice chair Greg Butcher
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Ask them to please put this bill on the Agriculture Committee Agenda. Thanks, Sylvia
*FOHO note
Sponsors HB 4333:
Mahan
Beach - Agriculture Committee
Fleishchauer - Judiciary Committee
Overington - Agriculture & Judiciary
Guthrie – Agriculture
D. Poling
February 1
SB 208 (Animal Fighting – PDF below) was heard today in the Senate Agriculture Committee. It passed and is now in the Judiciary Committee. A date has not been set for the hearing in Judiciary. Sylvia
January 29
I have just received a call stating that SB 208 (making wagering on animal fighting a felony) is scheduled to be heard by the Agriculture Committee on Monday, Feb. 1st at 2pm. The meeting will be held in the Senate Judiciary Committee room. I plan to attend and all are welcome to come. Sylvia
January 28
It is time for us to get to work and send emails to committee chairs asking them to put certain bills on their committee agenda.
Two new bills today and both are good, but please push the Senate bill as it does more than the House bill.
HB 4216 (PDF) makes it a felony to wager on animal fighting. This bill is similar to SB 208. It does not make gamecock fighting a felony. It is in House Judiciary.
I have already listed HB 4201 and I have had several feedbacks on how much this bill is needed. Please email the chair of Agriculture and ask him to place this bill on the agenda. Sam Argento
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and (Vice Chair) Greg Butcher
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. WV does not have any standards of care for livestock.
Another bill that needs passed is SB 225. Please email Jeff Kessler and ask him to place this bill on his agenda.
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This bill would help spay/neuter for people who cannot afford it. All of the above are good and needed bills. Sylvia
*FOHO note: SB 225 is a bill that FOHO WV feels is critical and needs your support. It would provide some funding for spay/neuter through a fee to distributors of pet food in WV. There is more information about this bill on this website in the article ‘Spay Neuter Funding Bill is needed.”
You can find all chairs and other legislators on this website by using our side user menu.
Of note here is that you want to thank these sponsors when you do your emails for sponsoring the bill and let them know how much you support it.
The following sponsors of SB 225 are on the Judiciary Committee:
Kessler - chair
Laird
Synder
Barnes
Stollings
The following sponsors of SB 380 are on the Judiciary Committee:
Kessler - chair
Yost
The following sponsors of SB 4216 are on the Judiciary Committee:
Overington
Wells
Hunt (Vice Chair)
Ellem (Minority Chair)
Longstreth
Brown
Michael
Shook
Ross
Ferro
January 27
A very good bill was introduced today which is HB 4201 (PDF). Anyone associated with animal control and welfare knows that many complaints are made concerning starving horses and cattle. This bill established a Board to establish standards of care for livestock and poultry. A Humane Society member will be one of the members.
This bill first goes to the Agriculture Committee and then to Judiciary. Standards of care are much needed in this state. Please read the bill and support it if you think it is needed. Sylvia
January 26
The only bill pertaining to animals introduced today is SB 337. It allows part of the purse from greyhound racing to be used for S/N for greyhounds rescued from the tracks. This is good but does not require spay/neuter. Sylvia
*FOHO note: This is quite long so we will not post the PDF. You can read it from this website using the 2010 Legislative Search.
January 18
There was one bill introduced today
SB 231 (PDF). This bill would give an income tax credit for people who spay/neuter their household pets. This bill is the same as last year and the Senate Finance committee said last year they had to know how much revenue loss the state would have. This amount would be very difficult to obtain. This bill is single referenced to the Finance Committee.
Please consider supporting SB 147 (puppy mill), SB 208 (gamecock), and SB 225 which is a permit license fee where the revenue would go for spay/neuter. This bill is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee then it must go to Finance.
For people contacting their legislators, you must contact the people on the committee where the bill will first be heard. Sylvia
January 15
SB 225 (pdf) was introduced today. This bill creates the Spay/Neuter Assistance Act by providing money from an additional commercial feed distributor fee assessed to commercial feed distributors to fund a statewide spay and neuter program. All of us are very aware of the pet over-population problem and this is a chance to help fund s/n on a statewide basis. It goes first to Judiciary and then to Finance. Sylvia
*FOHO note: We are pleased that the bill has several sponsors: Sens. Kessler, Snyder, Barnes, Stollings and Laird. Tell your senator that you want their support for this bill. This bill would allow an increase on the existing permit fee on the distributor of commercial pet food brands in the state & not on the consumer. They are already paying a brand registration fee and it will be increased with that money being dedicated to a spay/neuter fund. The pet food industry then becomes part of our solution in assisting with our pet overpopulation problem. Maine passed a similar bill in 2005 and in 2008 they had $127,750 collected in fees which went to a state spay/neuter fund.
January 14
No animal bills were introduced today. The senate is listing what is coming out tomorrow and SB 225 is on the list. Creating Spay/Neuter Assistance Fund by Kessler. We cannot see it until tomorrow probably late in the day. Sylvia
*FOHO note: This spay neuter funding bill is one that FOHO has proposed. We need other Senators to sponsor this bill to show maximum support. This would provide ongoing funding for spay neuter assistance throughout West Virginia.
January 13
All of the bills listed below are carry-over bills from the last session.
HB 2061 (pdf) prohibits abusive treatment of elephants. First goes to Agriculture Committee and then to Judiciary Committee.
HB 2699 (pdf) establish breeding restrictions for aggressive or vicious dog, First to Agriculture Committee and then to Judiciary Committee.
HB 2721 (pdf) Dangerous Dog Act. First to Agriculture and then to Judiciary Committee. This is a fairly good bill and may be needed as so many local governments are declaring Pit bulls and pit bull mixes as dangerous and not allowed.
HB 2953 (pdf) Creates an Animal Friendly License Plate with the money going to the state. This would be like any other specialty plate.
SB 147(pdf) Relating to commercial dog breeding operations. First to Agriculture Committee and then to Judiciary Committee.
SB 189 (pdf) Care and management of Feral Cats. Please note there is not any funding in this bill. First to Agriculture and then to Judiciary Committee.
SB 208 (pdf) Creating a felony offense for animal fighting venture involvement. This bill only stops wagering on animal fights.
All of these bills go first to Agriculture and then to Judiciary Committees of their respective chambers. Sylvia Shafer
*FOHO note: Sylvia is reporting the bills introduced. She lobbies for KCHA so listing the bill does not mean that this bill is endorsed by KCHA, Sylvia Shafer or FOHO. Sylvia will sometimes review a bill based on her experience dealing with the issue. You will need to read the bill and determine if it merits your support. Please read the FOHO article on our home page explaining how we determine which bills we will actively support.
