HAWAII
Hawaii Senate Bills 2504 and 2198 would ban the sale of any cat or dog who had not been spayed or neutered. Both would mandate sellers microchip all dogs and cats prior to sale, make certain health disclosures and maintain records. Neither bill provides exceptions for sale of intact animals to responsible breeders and would, in effect, mandate the extinction of pedigreed cats and dogs in Hawaii. CFA OPPOSES BOTH BILLS.
Hawaii Senate Bill 2490 requires pet sellers provide veterinary inspection to buyers. It would create a mandatory warranty on the sale of any pets and make sellers liable to the purchaser for any defect in the cat or dog for two years from the date of sale. The amount of damages the buyer can claim is not limited. Hawaii House Bill 2161 would also create a mandatory warranty on the sale of dogs but would limit damages to the original purchase price of the pet. CFA OPPOSES BOTH BILLS.
CURRENT STATUS: These bills and several others in Hawaii are being monitored by CFA. Due to the unusually short legislative session in Hawaii these bills are advancing very quickly. Hearings have already been scheduled and even rescheduled on these bills. Please refer to the Hawaii State Legislature's web site:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/legcal.aspx for the most current hearing dates and times.
IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED. Please write your letters in opposition today.
ILLINOIS
House Bill 1166 defines a "companion animal hoarder" as a person who is in possession of 7 or more companion animals in addition to other requirements. The bill provides that a person must obtain a permit to possess 7 or more companion animals. The possession of 7 or more companion animals is a misdemeanor and a second or subsequent violation is a felony with every day that a violation continues constituting a separate offense. CFA OPPOSES.
CFA supports reasonable regulations for the humane treatment of animals based on factors such as: adequate space, nutrition, sanitation, shelter, veterinary care, socialization and the welfare of the animal and opposes the establishment of arbitrary quotas on numbers of animals. A large facility may have excellent care; a small one may be substandard. Quotas also operate to discourage proper genetic diversity in breeding facilities and may have ad adverse effect on the health and well-being of the pets. Hoarding is a complex issue involving both legal and mental health considerations. For a discussion of hoarding see: "Understanding Animal Hoarding & Its Impact"
CURRENT STATUS: Due to widespread opposition the author has decided not to press forward with this bill. It was introduced and sent to the Rules Committee but has not been assigned to a committee or given a hearing date. While the author promised to withdraw the bill it has been carried forward into 2012. We will continue to monitor it until the two-year legislative session ends.