[ SHOWGSD-L ] PAWS update

pruett@xxxxxxxxx · Wed, 19 Oct 2005 21:49:06 +0000

Dear Friends-

It's amazing how much things have changed in seven days. A week ago I opined
that PAWS opponents could celebrate for short while, that we'd fought PAWS
supporters to a standoff and that it was extremely unlikely that we'd see any
S1139 legislative hearing in 2005. I suspect SAOVA's email triggered what's
happened since, but have no way of confirming that. The celebration's over -
Back to Work.

There are strong Internet rumors that Sen. Santorum intends hold a November 9,
2005 PAWS "information only" hearing, but, as of this afternoon, the committee
staff couldn't confirm that schedule and hadn't invited any witnesses.
Nevertheless, I believe there will now be such a hearing before Congress
adjourns around Thanksgiving. I don't believe PAWS's supporters, AKC, AVMA,
HSUS, DDAL, et al, have been able to agree on a set of amendments to correct
the bill's many destructive features or silence the bill's overwhelming
opposition. That should become publicly obvious shortly.

Senator Santorum has several PAWS legislative alternatives available to him, but
none of them are very good without much broader support. He doesn't have the
full Senate Agriculture Committee's votes and, most significantly, he doesn't
have the support of Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). At this point, it's not
clear that committee members know PAWS's details beyond the fact that thousands
of us oppose the bill. Key staffers understand most of S1139 serious flaws.
That's enough to force Sen. Santorum, AKC, AVMA, HSUS, DDAL et al out of the
normal "how a bill becomes a law" committee route to a short-cutting process
generally referred to as a floor "rider." Any November hearing is to give such
a rider more political credibility, in my opinion and those with whom I've
consulted.

Let me diverge for a moment and suggest that you review a short Bob Kane bio
located at http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/join.html and
http://www.uplandbirddog.com/authors/kane.html Since I began pro bono lobbying
for hunting dog owners in 1999, I've renewed many of my old Hill lobbying and
staff contacts. I believe that I'm better informed about what's happening on
the Hill than anyone else opposing PAWS. To a man, agriculture lobbyists
despise HSUS's agenda and are as helpful as they can be.

In 2001, Rick Santorum sponsored S1478, Puppy Protection Act #2. That bill also
contained provisions to expand USDA licensing to hobby breeders, along with a
puppy "socialization" requirement and dog breeding age and frequency
restrictions. There was a House counterpart then too. Neither bill had a single
hearing, yet Sen. Santorum managed to attach his bill language to the 2002 Farm
Bill as a floor amendment or "rider." This happened late at night, in a near
empty chamber, on what I recall was third day of floor debate. No recorded vote
was taken and Tom Harkin, then Senate AG Chairman and a S1478 cosponsor,
assisted Santorum procedurally. The House Farm Bill conferees knocked S1478 out
in its entirety, refusing to accept any of it.

It's virtually certain that with Senate AG not supporting PAWS, Sen. Santorum
will again attempt the floor rider tactic, possibly as early next month, but
more likely late next year. There will be a very limited number of germane USDA
must-pass vehicles available. If Chairman Saxby Chambliss continues to oppose
PAWS and any doesn't permit PAWS to be taken to the floor, the 2007 Farm Bill
is out of Sen. Santorum's reach. Santorum & Co may attempt to attach another
version of PAWS to the USDA FY07 appropriations bill in late 2006. The Senate
Appropriations Committee is much more animal rightist friendly. HSUS
successfully went the rider route last month on the USDA FY06 spending bill,
when an animal rightist equine slaughter bill stalled in the AG committee. On
any floor rider effort, all 100 senate votes count equally, but what are really
important to us are the votes and actions of AG Chairman Chambliss,
Appropriations Chairman Cochran (R-MS) and Approp AG Subcommittee Chairman
Bennett (R-UT).

Only PAWS supporters and the very mildest of its critics, AKC, AVMA, PIJAC,
HSUS, DDAL, ASPCA and the clubs nominated by Jim Holt are likely to testify, in
what appears to be a tightly controlled public relations exercise. Such a
one-sided spectacle will permit Sen. Santorum to claim a PAWS public hearing
had been held (unlike in 2002) and assert that S1139 critics' concerns were
addressed in any subsequent version of PAWS. Although you won't be able testify
in Washington, you can make your views known and have them part of any PAWS
hearing's official, public record. Use fax preferably, email if necessary.

Title submittals as: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee
Hearing on S1139 (PAWS)
Fax: (202) 228-8282
Email: Jeff_Stoltzfoos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Statements received before the hearing will be included in the members' briefing
books and made part of the PAWS hearing record. Statements received up to five
days after the hearing will made part the same record.

Lobbying Assistance
Please visit http://www.nopaws.org/ and encourage others to do so. It has been
designated our principal NO PAWS website. It would help in our near-term
lobbying if we could get some more national groups designated as opposed to
PAWS. There are thirteen AKC parent breed clubs that profess to be opposed to
PAWS to varying degrees, but we can't list them at
http://www.saova.org/1139opponents.html because they haven't implemented that
opposition with a communication to Congress.

Doberman Pinscher Club of America
Field Spaniel Society of America
Staffordshire Terrier Club of America
Borzoi Club of America
Silky Terrier Club of America
American Chinese Crested Club
American Belgian Tervuren Club
American Maltese Association
Sussex Spaniel Club of America
Miniature Pinscher of America
American Fox Terrier Club
Newfoundland Club of America
Poodle Club of America

Some of these clubs actually polled their memberships and haven't done anything
more. If you have any influence with their officers, please talk to them about
getting on board and demonstrating a united front. If your parent club is
listed, but your regional club hasn't yet made the same effort to protect your
interests, why is that? The PAWS opposition list is also dramatically
underrepresented in AFTCA and UKC clubs. This animal rightist assault endangers
all dog owners, not just those registering with the AKC. When you're lobbying
Congress, NUMBERS COUNT!

Thank you for you support and confidence.

Sincerely,

Bob Kane
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance -
Working to identify and elect supportive legislators
** NO PAWS **
http://saova.org/1139.html
http://www.nopaws.org
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The message above was posted to New England and New York residents by the
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance (SAOVA) on one of ten regional
read only elists.

SAOVA is a nonpartisan volunteer group working to protect Americans from the
legislative and political threats of radical animal rightists. It is the only
national organization fighting this struggle for both sportsmen and animal
owners, natural allies, in these arenas. Visit our website at http://saova.org
for this program's goals, methodology and list signup details.

To unsubscribe from this list, exercise that option at
http://mailman.montana.com/mailman/listinfo/saova_northeast
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