Alert 1/31/08     Puppymill Bill – HB538 – Needs Your Support

 

Since we started VVAW, we have been working to slow the flow of pets and the resulting numerous, horrible deaths – pets killed for no better reason than they lack a home – with 1 pet killed every 4 minutes in Virginia.

 

HB538 is a major step toward slowing that flow, and needs your support immediately.

 

HB538 says, in part, that those who have 20 or more breeding females may be required to have a business license and be inspected by animal control; it requires pet shops to purchase dogs from registered dealers. See the bill in full here:

 

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=081&typ=bil&val=hb538

 

Yesterday, 1/30/08, HB538 was heard before the House Agriculture Committee, a group of 21 delegates, and produced as sharp a divide as you may expect to see.

 

On one level there was Del. Bobby Orrock (the bill’s patron), Sharon Adams, Kathy Strouse, Teresa Dockery, Debra Griggs, Tom Evans, Steve Escobar, a Sheriff from Washington County, an ACO from Richmond, the VVAW Board of Directors, Bobbie Gribble, Stephanie Scott and 12 progressive, compassionate legislators who passed HB538.  Opposite were 9 legislators who may variously be described as traditionalists, mossbacks, whatever, take your pick - these are the legislators who support breeders and killing. And the breeders were very visible and numerous and threatened all manner of dire consequences if Del. Orrock's bill is passed.

 

On another level is motive.  The breeders want no regulation at all of breeding. They were there to ensure they can continue to make money by breeding. (They took the day off and came to Richmond because they felt this bill in their wallets.) But however motive is characterized, at the end of the day, it's headcount that writes history.  And they nearly had the headcount. (The vote appears at the end of this.)

 

We need the progressive, compassionate multitudes to be more numerous and vocal than the breeders. Breeders had almost enough legislative support, and the fight isn't over. This bill must be passed by the entire House of Delegates, and then over to the Senate for another fight.

 

You need to be sure that you and every one else you reach will be heard on this bill, and that you fight every bit as hard as breeders are fighting.

 

The contacts should be from anyone, not just dedicated animal people, but anyone who cares that life is being indifferently produced for profit and far too often snuffed out, and that taxpayers throughout Virginia absorb this cost and allow our state to act as the slaughterhouse. Get your neighbor to make contacts, get your uncle to do this. Ask your child’s teacher, get your vet too.

 

Now.

Please contact your delegate. If you aren’t sure who your delegate is, click here:

 

http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

 

Calls are best, but emails work too. If you email, make the subject line: Support HB538

 

And in your message, you needn’t say more than you want your delegate to support HB538.

 

Warning: Do not side with breeders by doing nothing.

 

You can do better than breeders in reaching legislators. There are more of us. And cross-post this message, cross-post the messages you send, and get volumes of messages to the House of Delegates. Overwhelm the delegates with expressions of support.

 

 

Lillian Clancy and Don Marro

 

___________

 

Here is the vote on HB538 from 1/30/08. If your delegate voted “yea”, thank the delegate and say you want to make sure their vote in support is still there when the bill comes before the full House.

 

If your delegate voted “nay”, tell them you are a constituent, that their “no” vote reflects poor judgment, and that such a vote does not represent or satisfy you. Tell them you want them to vote in support of HB538 when it comes before the full House.

 

If your delegate didn’t vote, ask for his support when HB538 comes before the full House.

 

yeas:           nays:         didn’t vote:

Bouchard         Hogan         Bulova

Cox           Lewis

Eisenberg         Lohr

Mathieson         Marshall, D.W.

Morgan         Pogge

Orrock           Poindexter

Plum           Scott, E. T.

Saxman         Ware, R. L.

Shannon         Wright

Sherwood

Shuler

Vanderhye