Current Activities
2010 Legislative Liaison Committee Annual Report
by Debbie Dennison, Chair
The focus of the Legislative Liaison Committee is to monitor legislative activities, update club membership on issues that arise, and serve as an organizational force to motivate members to get involved and reach out to public officials. We review legislation to determine which could most affect the Newfoundland community. This year we’ve reported on over 80 pieces of local, state, and federal legislation.
The committee posts updates to the Legislative Action Center on the NCA’s website. We have included updates on recent alerts, legislator contact information, articles on how to get involved, and a map where you can view legislation that the committee has reported on by state.
This year focus continued on bills regarding breeder licenses/ restrictions, appearing in Calif., Wis., Mont., Ohio, Del., Fla., N.H., Okla., S.D., W.Va., Iowa, Minn., N.Y., N.C., Tex., Va., Mich., and N.M. and at the federal level. We saw dog limit legislation in Wis. (looking at repealing), Miss., Calif., N.M., N.Y., and Tenn. Mandatory spay/neuter legislation was proposed in many states, including Ala., Calif., Tenn., Tex., N.M. and Iowa. In addition,
Penna., Ariz., Conn., Mass., Calif., Wis., and R.I. had
legislation introduced regarding debarking, tethering/enclosures, unfair trade, dogs as “dangerous wild life”, animal abuse registry, and seizure of animals. At the federal level, an animal welfare bill is making its way through both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill is particularly problematic in
the way it defines a high volume retail breeder as a person who has ownership interest in, or custody of, one or more breeding female dogs (which it specifically and ironically defines as an intact female four months of age) and sells more than 50 of the offspring in any one year period. The total number counted toward the “high volume” category includes dogs a breeder has
on their premises, dogs a breeder co-owns with other breeders, and puppies that are co-owned with each of the families they have been placed with. This legislation, if passed, stands to have a significant impact on the NCA membership.
Going forward, the committee plans to continue our efforts
into 2011 engaging the members in legislative issues at the regional level. We have created a list of key contacts for each of the regional clubs so that we are better able to ensure that time sensitive issues are addressed. We also plan to have a significant focus on the federal legislation as it stands to impact a large number of our members. We will develop tools and communication pathways to make it easier for members to be
aware of whom to contact about what issues and aim to energize members to get involved. We also plan to capitalize on the AKC advertising campaign, “Imagine a World Without Dogs.” We believe it is very impactful.
The committee holds monthly teleconferences on the third
Tuesday of the month. The legislative committee is currently comprised of Kathy Grim, Amy Davis, Brian Hodges, Debbie Dennison, Denise Hatakeyama, and Janice Anderson. The committee welcomes member views on our efforts and appreciates any ideas and suggestions regarding how to improve our work. Thanks to the committee members for their hard work, as well as to the NCA Board members for support of this vital function.
Legislative Action Center
Get Involved - Get In Touch - Make A Difference
Current Action Alert
Previous Action Alerts
AB1634
PAWS
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