With yesterday, March 16, being considered the committee reporting courtesy date (the deadline to move bills out of their original committee), it appears that the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee will likely not be voting on House Bill 1551. This is a bill that includes provisions to require annual registration for all dog breeders, and $50 birth certificates for every puppy whelped.
Although there is still a limited window ahead of the March 23 deadline for bills to pass the House of Delegates, HB 1551 has yet to be scheduled for vote before the House Economic Committee. Currently, the Committee does not have any voting session scheduled that will meet the timeline for bill passage.
AKC Government Relations will continue to closely monitor the House Economic Matters Committee meeting schedule for any changes and will provide updates if necessary. An additional update will be provided after the March 23rd “crossover” deadline.
AKC Government Relations and the Responsible Dog Owners of Maryland are monitoring legislation in Maryland impacting dog owners. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.