Please share this alert with Legislative Liaisons, Club Members, and
Responsible Dog Owners in New Hampshire.
https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/nh-update-act-now-house-hearing-scheduled-tuesday-bill-concerning-pet-vendor-licenses/
Friday, April 8, 2022
On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 1pm the New Hampshire House Environment and
Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hear testimony on SB 368, as amended.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) and the New Hampshire Dog Owners of the Granite
State (NH DOGS) have significant concerns.
New Hampshire residents are strongly encouraged to use the information below to
express your concerns to the committee TODAY.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
In January, AKC issued an alert for SB 368 as introduced, “relative to pet
vendor licenses”. The bill was requested by the Department of Agriculture,
Markets and Food (the Department). In part, it required the ownership of all
animals housed in the licensed portion of a pet vendor’s premises be
transferred to another person within 30 days of the revocation of a pet
vendor’s license to prevent seizure by a law enforcement agency.
AKC and NH DOGS testified before the New Hampshire Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee that this was a serious legal matter that invoked
constitutional protections missing from the bill. After, the Department agreed
that SB 368 needed a re-draft.
During March, the Senate Committee released SB 368, as amended, with a new
title and text. “An act relative to the unlicensed sale of live animals and
establishing the agricultural hearings officer revolving fund,” unanimously
passed the Senate despite a joint opposition letter to all Senators from AKC
and NH DOGS. SB 368, as amended, would:
• Increase the fines to any pet vendor who violates any of the law’s
provisions a second or subsequent time from “not to exceed $1,000” to “up to
$5,000”.
• Authorize all fines collected by the Department be directly deposited
into a new revolving fund, without further appropriation by the legislature,
for the compensation of hearing officers responsible for performing
disciplinary tasks.
• Each quarter, require the Department send any unpaid fines to the
attorney general for collection and any fund balance over $10,000 to the
state’s general fund, for appropriation by the legislature.
TALKING POINTS: The Department says it needs tools to address limited
situations where a person continues to transfer live animals after their pet
vendor license has been revoked. However, SB 368, as amended, is seriously
flawed because it:
(1) imposes significant fines for “any pet vendor who violates any of the law’s
provisions”, instead of “any person who transfers live animals without a
license”;
(2), deposits fines into a fund that directly pays the salary of hearing
officers who decide, if, and how much to fine someone, which creates a serious
conflict of interest, and
(3) assigns hearing officers paid with pet vendor fines to cases inall 4 of the
Department's divisions-animal industry, pesticide control, regulatory services,
and weights and measures.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: New Hampshire residents are strongly encouraged to
immediately register your opposition to the bill by filling out this “online
testimony submission” form.
• Submit your name, town and email address
• Click on the bill hearing date, April 12, 2022.
• Under the drop-down menu, select “House Environment and Agriculture”
and 1PM, “SB368”.
• Select I am “A member of the public” representing “myself”.
• Indicate you are opposed to this bill.
You may also upload a PDF file to this form specifically identifying your
concerns or email all committee members at
HouseEnvironmentandAgricultureCommittee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. If using email,
consider sending it with a “read receipt” request. If available, please
consider speaking in person at the April 12, 2022, House Committee hearing in
Room 303 of the Legislative Office Building, 33 N State St, Concord, NH 03301.
Sign in to testify when you arrive. The hearing starts at 10 AM. SB 368 is
scheduled to be taken up at 1 PM.
For more information on these or other legislative issues in New Hampshire,
contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or
doglaw@xxxxxxx; or the Dog Owners of the Granite State at dogs.nh@xxxxxxxxx.
Stormy Hope
NAIATrust, Trustee
NAIATrust-CA on Facebook!
GSDCA Legislative Liaison to AKC
California Responsible Pet Owners
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