Legislative Alerts

The American Kennel Club (AKC) is proud to continue strongly supporting Texas House Bill 1677, which seeks to recognize and honor police dogs and other police animals killed in the line of duty by directing the State Preservation Board to establish a Texas Police Service Animals Memorial Monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. […]

Yesterday, the Vermont Senate favorably voted passage of amended House Bill 421. The bill would (1) narrow the list of individuals authorized as “humane officers” who investigate cases of animal cruelty and (2) mandate the completion of trainings approved by the Animal Cruelty Investigation Advisory Board (“Board”).  As noted in this prior alert, the American […]

The Governor of Colorado has signed into law new regulations for pet stores that will allow them to continue to operate in the state. As introduced, this bill contained false claims about breeders and inaccurate information that pets from rescues are better for public safety as they are not imported from out of state.  Further, […]

Last week, Assembly Bill 702, which would have regulated all breeders in the state, was tabled for the year.  It cannot be considered before January 2022. Once again, we thank all the clubs and breeders who partnered with the AKC to reach out to the author and Assembly Business and Professions Committee members to communicate […]

AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) encourages Rhode Island residents to take action as soon as possible on S. 534 and S. 601, which seek to create court-appointed legal advocates for animals; and S.319, which attempts to amend the law regarding animals confined in motor vehicles.  These bills will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee […]

On Monday, May 3, starting at 10am, the Maine Joint Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hear testimony on LD 1265.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is concerned that, although the title of the bill states it is intended to control the hunting of coyotes, the bill, as introduced, could impact all hunting dogs.  […]

Amended Vermont House Bill 421 has been placed on today’s Senate calendar, providing notice to the Vermont State Senate of an upcoming vote.  The bill, which is supported by both the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs (VT Federation), has already been voted favorably by the Vermont House of Representatives […]

The American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Government Relations Department (GR) has just learned that, on second reading, the Texas House of Representatives voted in support of House Bill 1818 by a vote of 75-66.  The bill will next be scheduled for third reading and a final vote in the House. Click here to read AKC’s April […]

The New York Assembly and Senate continue to advance bills that would limit pet choice and restrict pet stores to only showcasing dogs from rescues that are not affiliated with breeders. Even if you would not personally source to a pet store, it is critical that New York lawmakers understand that pet choice should not […]

AKC has been notified that California Assembly Bill 702, which would have regulated all breeders in the state, will be pulled from today’s committee hearing agenda and not be considered this year. As such, we no longer need clubs and hobbyists to make phone calls during today’s meeting. AKC extends a huge thanks to all […]