During its debate of SB 3, the Commonwealth’s proposed budget, the Massachusetts Senate rejected Amendment #580, the text from “Nero’s Law”. The proposal, which sought to allow emergency care and transportation for a police dog injured in the line of duty, is named for “Nero”, the K9 partner of fallen Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon who was shot and killed in the line of duty in April 2018. Nero was also shot, but current state law prevented EMTs from treating or transporting him.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) has been a long-standing supporter of implementing “Nero’s Law” in Massachusetts and recently participated in a meeting convened by Representative Steven Xiarhos to collaborate on passage of the language as a separate bill this session. AKC Government Relations (GR) has also reached out to Senator Mark Montigny, who filed the budget amendment, to understand why it failed in the Senate.
AKC GR will continue to provide updates on this important matter. For more information on these or other legislative issues in Massachusetts, contact AKC GR at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners at info@massfeddogs.org.