Detailed Info RE: Three Bills Addressing Puppy / Kitten Mills

All information access able from Minnesota Legislature's website

H.F. 253 / S.F. 7 (Pet Haven supports this bill)
H.F. 253 Authors: Tillberry, Hornstein, Paymar, Murphy, M.; Smith; Greiling; Newton; Sterner; Slocum; Murphy, E.; and Bigham
-January 22, 2009: Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to the Committee on Public Safety Policy and Oversight.
S.F. 7 Senate Authors: Betzhold; Sieben; and Marty
-January 8, 2009: Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Veterans.
-January 27, 2009: As amended, laid over.

H.F. 573 / S.F. 500
H.F. 573 Authors: Juhnke; Sterner; Bigham; Slocum
-February 5, 2009: Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to the Committee on Public Safety Policy and Oversight.
-February 10, 2009: Referred to the Committee on Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division.
S.F. 500 Author: Erickson Ropes
-February 9, 2009: Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Veterans.

S.F. 201
Author: Dille
-January 22, 2009: Introduced, read for the first time, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Veterans.
-January 27, 2009: Discussion only in the Committee on Agriculture and Veterans.

A House version of SF201 will be heard in the Committee on Public Safety Policy and Oversight as soon as a hearing is granted.

A Tale of Three Bills...

There are currently three bills making their way through the Minnesota Legislature that address puppy / kitten mills in Minnesota. Pet Haven supports H.F. 235 / S.F. 7. because the bill best addresses problems of inhumane breeding in Minnesota. See our previous blog post or visit animalfolksmn.org for more in depth information about this important legislation. Both bills are currently making their way through the legislative process.

Now a bit about the other two bills…
Representatives Al Juhnke and Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes introduced HF573 and SF500, “Minnesota Puppy and Kitten Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.” See the Minnesota State Legislative website for details about this bill.

While HF573 / SF500 includes some good measures, HF235 / SF7 reaches more animals. Pet Haven’s specific concerns with HF573 / SF500 include the following:

• Some of the language in the bill does not work with Minnesota's existing animal welfare statutes.


• The bill also introduces new terms and some detrimental requirements, which will cause confusion.


• In certain areas, the bill does not give proper direction to the Board of Animal Health.


• The bill does not cover any breeder with under 40 breeding animals -- 40 breeding animals (with litters from each) translates to over 400 animals per kennel. (HF253/S7 licenses facilities with 6 or more intact females used for the purpose of breeding.)
  The bill exempts (from the count of the 40 breeding animals) animals under 9 months of age. This detail is important because those animals are of breeding age, further increasing the number of animals exempted from any oversight.

Senator Steve Dille introduced a second competing bill SF201 for a "Dog and Cat Breeders Act." See the Minnesota Legislative website for details about this bill. Pet Haven’s specific concerns with SF201 include the following:

• The bill is a registration-only bill. Similar to feedlots, dog and cat breeders would not be licensed annually but instead would only be registered once every four years.


• The bill covers breeders with 20 or more intact breeding females; as with HF573/SF500, this reduces the number of animals protected.


• The bill requires inspections to be complaint-based, which is the current system. Rather than annual inspections, a Good Samaritan would have to file a complaint before authorities could enter the property.


• The bill takes "humane agents" out of the language for inspections and enforcement and inserts "feedlot inspectors."


• Regarding animal seizure, the bill only allows the "affected" animals to be seized.

Continue to visit the blog for more updates. Special thanks to Pet Haven Vice President Amanda for her help in compiling this information!

Breed-Neutral Dangerous Dog Legislation Introduced

Last month Representative Lesch introduced legislation, H.F. 115, requiring the owners of dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs (as defined by section 347.50 of the Minnesota Statutes) complete a responsible dog owner class. The law outlines standards for the class itself, who may teach it, and what the curriculum should look like. The law also calls for the creation of a database containing information about dogs in the state who have been declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, as well as those dogs' owners. H.F. 115 was introduced in the Public Safety and Policy Oversight Committee, and was referred to the Crime Victims/Criminal Division Committee.

Folks may recall that Representative Lesch introduced Breed Specific Legislation in 2008, which Pet Haven and other rescue organizations opposed. Instead of BSL, a breed-neutral dangerous dog law passed unanimously at the end of the session, and Governor Pawlenty signed it into law. The good news is that H.F. 115 is also breed-neutral, and builds upon the dangerous dog law passed last year. Also interesting to note, is that one of H.F. 115's authors is Representative Paymar, who also co-authored H.F. 253, the puppy/kitten mill bill that Pet Haven supports.