3/25/07
 
VVAW met at 11:10 am on Sunday, 3/25/07, at the office of William E. Wood Associate Realtors, Port Warwick Office, in Newport News, VA.
 
In attendance: * denotes member of Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare Board of Directors
 
Cynthia Bocian, DVM
Gary Brittingham
*Lillian Clancy
Cindy Confer
Mary Cooper
Cindy Emanuel
Gail Furman
Corbin Granger
Bobbie Gribble
*Debra Griggs
*Kim Kincheloe
Ellen Leckar
*Don Marro
Erica Mascarello
Nancy Peterson
Stephanie Scott
Betty Weakland
*Pat Weakland
 
Don Marro brought the meeting to order and asked each person to introduce themselves. Each gave both their background and experience in animal welfare.
 
1. Gary Brittingham spoke of the pet oxygen masks now being distributed. The system is new to Virginia, and is looking for sponsors.
 
Gary added that he will arrange for a video camera to film the committee hearings in Richmond next session. Having a record of the proceedings will establish conclusively what was said, how, and by who, and what happened on votes.
 
2. Cynthia Bocian, DVM, said she had not known that VVAW proposed a tax credit for vets doing pro-bono work. She added that pro-bono and s/n work is not on the radar screen for the Virginia vet association, VVMA. She has worked with feral cats for 18 years but is no longer involved in s/n of ferals because many other organizations are doing it now. She is not a member of VVMA.
 
Don asked that she speak out when the same bill comes up for consideration in the 2008 session, and says such support would be particularly welcome if from vets who are not members of VVMA.
 
3. A discussion took place about getting legislators to patron the bills of their constituents. Don suggested in addition that one’s legislator be asked to seek the opinion of the Attorney General, in this case, specifically referring to comments by Corbin Granger regarding animal control officers not doing their job because of a lack of funding, a lack of personnel, and so forth.
 
4. Bobbie Gribble wondered if there were ways to be better prepared when presenting before committee of the General Assembly.
 
This question was followed by a discussion of the way a bill gets developed, and how support is given or withheld.
 
Mary Cooper suggested that because so much of Virginia is rural that animals are seen as "second class", and that is why even companion animal bills are directed to the ag committee.
 
Debra Griggs suggested that joining groups may help to build bridges to them and provide opportunities for collaboration and support. She specifically mentioned her membership in both VFHS and VACA as illustrations.
 
Mary said she will ask her delegate, William Barlow, if he will support or co-patron the bill to eliminate gas chambers in the 2008 session. To date, he has not been supportive of VVAW companion animal bills.
 
5. Mary added that there is a tethering ordinance in the city of Smithfield. However, the surrounding county, Isle of Wight, pays for the ACOs who cover Smithfield and does not itself have a tethering law. The tethering ordinance of Smithfield is, as a result, not enforced. Both Don and Debra said this was a "cop out", and that the law is the law and to be enforced.
 
Debra said that where there is an ordinance against tethering for more than 3 hours, a citizen can watch for 3 hours and when that time is exceeded, go to the magistrate. She also knows that some people do not realize what various tethering ordinances are. Mary agreed, saying she can think of areas near her where every home on the street has a dog tied out.
 
Tethering would be an excellent vehicle for an Attorney General opinion.
 
Kim Kincheloe asked if this wouldn’t be a good example of why humane investigators are needed and would be welcome.
 
6. Don said that VVAW bills need someone to "work" the bills.
 
Pat Weakland described his experience in getting the releasing agency bill (HB 1853) patroned by Del. Wittman, and the result.
 
7. Pets are seen as disposable, and so there needs to be a "disposal system" in place. It is costing Virginia $62 million each year for this disposal. Some 300,000 pets are entered into the Virginia pound/shelter system each year, about approximately 150,000 are killed each year. Kim Kincheloe says that is one pet killed every 4 minutes in Virginia. Nancy Peterson said that it is one killed every 10 second looking at the problem nationally.
 
8. Don listed some who can influence legislators, and list included
NRA
Farm Bureau
VVMA
VFDC&B
 
Don continued by listing all the stakeholders with whom VVAW has met or offered to meet:
NRA
VVMA
Farm Bureau
hunters
dog fanciers
dog owners
VACA
VACo
VML
VVMA

9. To try to attract vets to the meeting today, Debra sent many faxes to local vets, encouraging their attendance, mentioning the tax credit in the fax. The only vet moved to come was Cynthia Bocian.
 
Bobbi Gribble said if she goes to 25 local vets to get their support, that still leaves a lot of Virginia legislators without vets from their areas speaking in support.
 
Don encouraged her to get the vets to come to a hearing in Richmond on that topic. He added that perhaps Gary could photograph the vets and present a photo album of them so they "testify" in this way.
 
10. Don listed the achievements VVAW has had:
41 co-patrons on the gas chamber bill
he’s met about 140 legislators, and found about 30 steadfastly oppose VVAW
believes VVAW helped "retire" Teresa Dockery, a vocal VVAW adversary
a collaboration is building with VFHS
a preliminary collaboration is underway with VACA, but it will take nurturing as Teresa Dockery is involved with VACA
 
Debra offered a telling example of Dockery's duplicity where she represented one position to one constituency and an opposing position to another constituency, and said that Dockery had a history of marginalizing people and organizations who did not support her goals, rendering compromise and consensus impossible as long as she remained in leadership.
 
11. A further discussion of who influences legislators followed. The list included spouse, family, friends, donors, marquee name constituents, legislative aides, and PACs. And then the lobbyists. And then the people. That so many have electioneering photos of candidates with an adoring family including the family dog, it seems that those same animals should warrant more compassionate legislative consideration.
 
12. Bobbi asked how to work with your legislator to patron a bill if that person is not on a committee likely to hear that bill.
 
Don said that legislator is part of the caucus, and bills are often evaluated there. Further, those on the committee may have bills that come before other committees, and need floor votes as well, and so horse-trading commonly takes place.
 
Finally, Don said that many legislators have PAC money, and if they have no opponent in an election, they can spend that money to help others.
 
In summary, legislators needn’t be members of certain committees to make a difference with VVAW bills.
 
13. Kim Kincheloe asked those at the meeting to write to Speaker Howell and criticize the behavior and words of Del. Orrock who took umbrage at being contacted by many regarding various animal bills.
 
Don says that legislators must be told "no": you cannot deny access or vote secretly, we can speak out, this is not the 1930s in Germany. More men, more younger people, more older people – more people – are needed to get the VVAW message across.
 
14. Corbin, when telling friends that she was going to attend the VVAW meeting today, was asked if she wasn’t wasting her time, and didn’t she have something better to do.
 
This is a serious problem. From this indifference and the disposability mindset comes the problem.
 
Kim suggested a response could be that $62 million and 150,000 lives is not a waste of time and affects every one.
 
Debra added that there is also the issue of lost revenue since breeders aren’t paying taxes or getting business licenses or dealer permits.
 
Kim counseled that all need to work state-wide, but it is very important to work locally as well.
 
15. It was decided that there would be a Tidewater email group consisting of those at the meeting today. Stephanie Scott agreed to be the "captain" for the effort.
 
Debra asked that the group be grown by adding people who are not dedicated animal advocates, but who are people who love their individual cats and dogs – a "great pool", she said, of people who can help.
 
Gary offered to set up a system of having individual emails with the domain name of the group as part of the address.
 
 
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30.