Today, the Vermont Senate attached domestic animal welfare protections to HB 729 (see below) and passed the amended bill. It is now scheduled to be reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee today, at 1:15 PM.
This action was taken because amended Vermont Senate Bill 155, which would establish a public safety agency and provide administrative support to the state’s Animal Cruelty Investigative Advisory Board (ACIAB), has not advanced in the Vermont House since passage by the Senate in March.
The amended HB 729 text, which can be viewed on page 4187 of the May 3 Senate calendar, is supported by both the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs (VT Federation). Among unrelated judiciary related provisions, it would:
- Require the Department of Public Safety and Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets to develop a plan to unify domestic animal welfare functions.
- Present draft legislation to enact the plan.
- Ensure that domestic animals transported into the State from other jurisdictions meet health and safety standards and that the businesses that import domestic animals into the State are registered or licensed, or both, and meet health and safety standards.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Vermont residents are strongly encouraged to contact the House Judiciary Committee requesting support for HB 729, as amended with animal welfare protections. Committee members and their email addresses are below.
- Rep. Maxine Grad, Chair – mgrad@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Thomas Burditt, Vice Chair – tburditt@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Kevin “Coach” Christie – kchristie@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Selene Colburn – SColburn@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Kate Donnally – kdonnally@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Kenneth Goslant – kgoslant@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Martin LaLonde – mlalonde@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Felisha Leffler – fleffler@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. William Notte – wnotte@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Robert Norris – rnorris@leg.state.vt.us
- Rep. Barbara Rachelson – brachelson@leg.state.vt.us
AKC will continue to provide updates on amended HB 729. For more information on it or other legislative issues in Vermont, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.