Legislative Alerts

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 22), the Virginia General Assembly will hold a one-day session to act on bills that have been sent back to the General Assembly by Governor Northam with recommendations for approval prior to becoming law. One those bills is SB 891.  Originally intended to deal with the adoption of comprehensive regulations governing the […]

Recently, Governor Northam signed SB 272/HB 1552  into law.  The new rules regarding tethering will take effect on July 1, 2020. As mentioned in a previous alert, this bill contains language that sets absolute temperatures and weather conditions language, along with a new (and unclear) provision that would allow an animal control officer to assess […]

Earlier this week, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) posted changes  to the state’s proposed animal health regulations for dogs temporarily imported into the state for shows.  The changes clarify animal description requirements and allow veterinarians to be on call instead of on the show premises.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) supports these […]

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) is proposing temporary, emergency regulations that could impact those who train or participate in field trials with rabbits. At the request of many local field trial clubs and the AKC, the WRC has agreed to extend the comment period for this proposal to April 27, 2020.  Scroll down […]

Today, the American Kennel Club (AKC) submitted comments to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding its proposed regulation updates that would redefine “service animal”  for the purpose of air travel. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel and requires […]

Last June, the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee accepted public testimony on H.1774, S. 114, H. 1757, H.1758, H. 1822, H. 1823, and S. 1204, which seek: to impose regulatory oversight over personal and commercial kennels, mandate annual inspections of all kennels, and create consumer protection laws that exempt animal shelters […]

On March 16, 2020, members of the Edgewood, Kentucky, city council discussed amendments to the city’s animal ordinance, including changes to vicious dog provisions.  During the meeting, one council member proposed including a ban on Rottweilers and “pit bulls”.  No action was taken. The American Kennel Club (AKC) supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to govern […]

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing amendments to the Dog Training and Field Trials rule.  The rule is being amended to provide for the issuance of field trial permits online, and to make organizational and technical changes. The most significant change under the proposed amended rule would allow individuals who want to conduct […]

According to Governor Brian Kemp’s staff, an executive order will be issued tomorrow (4/3/20) that is anticipated to include shelter-in-place requirements.  Georgia pet owners are urged to contact the governor’s office today and politely request that veterinarians and pet food/care businesses be designated as essential businesses/services and allowed to continue to operate subject to safe […]

Dear AKC Club Officers and Delegates, Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we recognize that many of your clubs have had to make significant sacrifices, including cancelling the shows and events that you rely on for your viability. We want to assist you in every way possible. We have received a number of inquiries about whether […]