Responsible Government
Responsible Ownership
Responsible Breeding
Animal Welfare Issues
2005-2006 Plan (pdf file)
Meetings
You are here: Home>>>Alerts>>>2006 Initiatives
7-14-05
2006 Initiatives
Looking forward to January, 2006, VVAW will pursue most of the initiatives introduced during the 2005 session of the General Assembly.
VVAW needs to talk to and get patrons – ideally several - for each initiative, and then support their efforts in consequence and collaborate with other groups.
As to the bills, we will start with the original language VVAW wanted in 2005, rather than the version which emerged after Legislative Services made changes either at the patron’s request, or because of our efforts to work collaboratively with VFDC&B and VVMA.
Those bills from 2005 to be pursued will be:
1. license fee cap change (FKA HB 1884)
2. releasing agencies change (FKA HB 2927)
NOTE: this initiative may be broken into separate bills
3. pet shops inspections and inspections by vets of pet shop dogs/cats (FKA HB 2859)
4. humane education (FKA SB 952)
5. gas chamber elimination (FKA HB 2846)
NOTE: Chambers may have been eliminated prior to the start of the 2006 session, but if not, VVAW will pursue elimination through legislation.
It is contemplated that the legislation will require VOSHA (Virginia OSHA) review the CO certification of ACOs, and certification of the gas chambers with all non-compliant chambers automatically shut down until fully compliant or transitioned to EBI.
These bills from the 2005 session will not be pursued by VVAW:
1. dealer permits (FKA HB 2338)
This bill was successfully passed in 2005.
Efforts here must be local. VVAW may ask for a resolution encouraging local jurisdictions to
act.
2. abandonment (FKA SB 775)
This bill will be modified to treat as abandonment any abandoned companion animal or any stray or owner give-up not for good cause. Further, this bill will be offered as a statewide referendum in the next election cycle.
These are legislative initiatives we feel VVAW should consider for the 2006 session:
1. ACO (animal control officers) work
- every pound open for adoptions on weekends
- require public pounds to work with rescue groups including transporters
- no ACO works more than a 40-hour week
- each jurisdiction have at least 2 ACOs, and each use trustees or volunteers or both
- all ACOs certified to perform EBI; training to be completed within 6 months of start date
- ACO training completed before first day in the field
- ACOs on equal footing with law enforcement
2. TNR
Those involved in TNR are not liable for abandonment prosecution.
According to the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney, answering a question from the former State Vet, Dr. Donald Butts (11/04), the law currently allows prosecution of those doing TNR on the basis of abandonment.
3. seized companion animals
Dogs or cats seized (from hoarding, abuse, fighting and/or drug cases, for example)
and awaiting the outcome of these proceedings will be boarded at kennels at the owners’ expense so as not to take up space in a public pound which could be used by stray or owner
give-up animals, i.e., dogs with a chance at being re-homed.
4. tax checkoff
Contributions to the VVAW 501c3 (Virginians for Animal Welfare) can be made as a tax checkoff on Virginia income tax returns.
5. Codification of Virginia’s animal laws.
6. sales tax
Raise the sales tax on dogs and cats purchased from backyard breeders and pet shops to 12.5%.