Legislative Alerts

March 19, 2019 The Washington State Senate Committee on Local Government will consider House Bill 1026 on Thursday, March 21, 2019.  This bill will prohibit local jurisdictions from passing breed-specific legislation (BSL) unless they provide an exemption to dogs that pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) or an equivalent program. The bill […]

Monday, March 18, 2019 Committees of the Texas Legislature are scheduled to consider three dog-related bills this week. HOUSE BILL 921 and HOUSE BILL 3092 – HOUSE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE House Bill 921 seeks to require animal shelters and releasing agencies to prepare and maintain records on the intake and disposition of animals in the […]

March 18, 2019 The Illinois House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to consider bills tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19, that would delete consumer protection language passed in 2017 and replace it with language that would only allow pet stores to sell dogs from shelters, rescues, or breeders who have fewer than five intact females on their property. […]

Monday, March 18, 2019 On Tuesday, March 19, 2019 1:30 PM, in Room 214 of the Cross Building, the Maine Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will hear LD 1049, which seeks to provide alternative consumer protection remedies for a buyer of a dog with a life expectancy of less than one year, along with […]

March 15, 2019 A bill making numerous changes to Iowa’s breeder laws continues to move through the Iowa House of Representatives. While some changes are a positive advancement, there are many concerning provisions that could unnecessarily harm dogs and responsible dog owners and breeders. Due to Iowa legislative procedures, House Study Bill 227, which passed […]

March 15, 2019 The American Kennel Club (AKC) continues to support North Dakota House Bill 1259, which is scheduled for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 20.  The bill would make it an infraction (maximum fine $100) to knowingly make a false claim that a pet is a service animal in an […]

Friday, March 15, 2019 The American Kennel Club (AKC) is pleased to support Minnesota House File 478.  Like its companion bill, SF 1109, this bill seeks to provide $150,000 in funding for the training of service dogs to assist some of the state’s firefighters with posttraumatic stress disorder.  All Minnesota residents are encouraged to join […]

March 14, 2019 The Maryland House Environment and Transportation Committee has voted to not approve HB 501, a bill that as introduced would have amended the state’s tethering laws and ban dogs from being left tethered outdoors unattended for more than 30 minutes when the temperature is below 32 or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The […]

March 13, 2019 The Illinois Senate Agriculture Committee is considering bills tomorrow (Thursday, March 14) that would significantly increase kennel and other license fees in the state, and also regulate foster homes and transport groups. Illinois residents that have a kennel operator (for boarding, training, etc) or state breeder license, or those that are involved […]

March 8, 2019 The Maryland Senate Finance Committee will now be considering Senate Bill 647 at 9:00am instead of the previously reported 1:00pm on Tuesday, March 12. SB 647 would prohibit homeowner’s and renter’s insurance providers to discriminate against specific breeds or mixed breeds of dogs when offering insurance policies. Maryland residents are encouraged to […]