[ SHOWGSD-L ] Virginia SB 55 -- Breeder Licensing-- TOP PRIORITY!
- From: RihadinK9@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 22:00:11 EST
PLEASE FORWARD! YES, FOLKS OUTSIDE VIRGINIA CAN HELP!
If SB 55 passes, home breeding of pets is over in Virginia. =20
This is a 'Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare' (our nouveux AR group)=20
Special; the first hearing will be Monday Jan. 23rd at 9 AM in Senate Room=20
'B,' General Assembly Building, before the Senate Agriculture Committee. =20=
=20
Between now and then we need to fax, call, and email the members of the=20
Senate Agriculture Committee. It takes HUNDREDS of contacts to win=20
these fights so please do what you can. If you can drag in ... I mean, if=
=20
friends or relatives volunteer, put them to work!
Personal visits are the most effective -- if you're near Richmond and an Ag=
=20
committee member is your senator, it's definitely worth a try, even if you=20
can only get a few minutes with his legislative assistant.
Second best is a faxed letter. Then a phone call to the legislative=20
assistant=20
and an email, in that order. However, ALL contacts help -- do whatever yo=
u=20
=20
can. NUMBERS COUNT! =20
Everything you need is in this post -- I think. Because it's very long it=
=20
may=20
be most convenient to print it out and use the online version only when you=
=20
need to copy and paste. There are six parts:
WHAT WOULD SB 55 DO?
HOW TO OPPOSE SB 55
POINTS YOU MIGHT MENTION
SAMPLE FAX/EMAIL
SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION
WHERE TO READ THE REAL SB 55=20
>>> IF YOU CAN COME TO THE HEARING ON MONDAY PLEASE DO <<<
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WHAT WOULD SB 55 DO?
1. Require pet 'dealers' (anyone who sells a pet for 'compensation or=20
profit' but is not a rescuer) to get both a dealer's license for $150/year=20
and a local business license. There's a $1000 fine if you should have a=20
dealer's license and don't get one. =20
2. Defines a 'Hobby breeder' as "an individual who owns dogs or cats and=20
wishes to breed and find homes for one litter, and this breeding is not for
profit." There are also definitions for both 'breed improver' and 'fancie=
r=20
breeder' but neither of them is used in the bill or law.
3. You can't sell or advertise a pet for sale without a dealer's license.
Dealers must give copies of their business license to a newspaper
in which they want to advertise and to any buyer. Anyone buying a pet
who does not get a copy of a business license will be fined $150.
4. Money raised by licensing of dealers doesn't go to the general fund (as=
=20
animal-related revenue does now) but must be used for animal control=20
"including but not limited to spay/neuter programs." =20
5. Dealers and hobby breeders must either spay/neuter pets before sale or=20
there must be a contract requiring the same not later than six months of=20
age.=20
Violations cost $150. =20
6. After January 1, 2007, all dogs and cats sold must be microchipped=20
before sale with the chip registered to both the seller and the buyer. =20
7. Only a hobby breeder may buy a dog or cat without spay/neuter by six
months of age and (under the definition of hobby breeder) it must be
sterilized after one litter.
EVERYTHING BUT SPAY/NEUTER AND MICROCHIP REQUIREMENTS=20
APPLIES TO RABBITS, BIRDS, EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S A PET TOO.
IF THIS BILL PASSES, IT'S OVER, FOLKS. =20
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HOW TO OPPOSE SB 55
First of all, BE POLITE! BE POLITE! BE POLITE! The people you're=20
contacting DID NOT create this monster. =20
For faxes and emails you must include your address; your phone number is=20
optional. If you call, you may be asked for your town or address. This=20
info=20
is needed to be sure that computer generated messages can't be used and to=20
count constituent contacts properly. If you are out of state but have=20
friends or relatives in Virginia, be sure to say so! Remember: A bad bill=
=20
that passes in one state will be tried in several others the next year. =20
Below are some points you might want to mention and a copy of my email. =20
You can follow the form of mine but be sure to use your own words and=20
ideas. Duplicates and form letters hit the circular file quickly in most=20=
=20
offices! =20
Keep it short -- the whole body of your email or fax should fit on the usua=
l=20
25 line=20
screen at one time. Don't think you have to write a great letter or email=
.=20
Even just =20
saying "Please OPPOSE this terrible bill" is helpful.=20
Thank you! =20
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POINTS YOU MIGHT MENTION
... pick the two or three that matter most to you -- or invent your own.
1. SB 55 will end legal home breeding meaning that more pets will come=20
from pet stores or illegal breeders.
2. Costs $150 for dealer license plus the cost of a (required) business=20
license. Home hobby breeding (the source of the best pets) is already a=20
'might break even' proposition, why is it good to further discourage it wit=
h=20
more costs? =20
3. Except in rural areas it may not be possible to get a business license i=
n=20
a=20
residential location. If you can get one it may require compliance with=20
other laws. =20
4. The law would cause some owners to =E2=80=98dump=E2=80=99 puppies in she=
lter drops or=20
abandon or kill them rather than try to place them and run the risk of=20
getting fined for selling without a license. =20
5. Some breeders would try to hide so they couldn=E2=80=99t even be inspec=
ted for=20
animal welfare.
6. The cost of enforcement would be large and would have to be deducted=20
from revenue. In practice, such a complex law could not be enforced. =20
Think of the 'war on drugs' where we're willing to spend huge amounts of=20
money, but we have scarcely cut supplies at all.
7. This law is certain to be =E2=80=98improved=E2=80=99 in future years by=20=
the addition of=20
inspections, litter fees, and so on. =20
8. Do we really need government to control the breeding of pets? =20
9. By discouraging the best breeders, SB 55 would lower the quality of the=
=20
pet population leading to more abandonment of pets at animal shelters. =20
10. The bill does not allow selling or buying of breeding stock except by=20
one-litter =E2=80=98hobby=E2=80=99 breeders. Where do quality breeders ge=
t future stock?
11. What exactly is the problem this bill is supposed to fix?
12. SB 55 is nearly identical to HB 2927, filed during the 2005 session an=
d=20
withdrawn less than two weeks later by Delegate Terry Kilgore. =20
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SAMPLE FAX/EMAIL
Dear Chairman Hawkins:
I'm writing to OPPOSE SB 55 which would require licensing of Virginia's=20
home breeders of pets. =20
My wife and I breed and rescue whippet dogs near Lexington. We've been
active in opposing bad pet laws (and supporting the occasional good bill)
for about four years now. =20
SB 55 is the worst pet-related bill yet to show up in Virginia and the wors=
t=20
state bill we're aware of. If this bill should pass, it will seriously=20
damage =20
home hobby and 'pin money' breeding in our state. Where will people get=20
their pets? From pet shops, illegal (unlicensed and hidden) breeders, and=
=20
out of state, that's where. =20
SB 55 is TERRIBLE public policy. It is pure 'animal rights' religion,
aimed not at making people and pets happier together but at taking a long
step toward getting rid of pets. Hard to believe anyone could promote
such fruitcake, isn't it? But there's a nationwide movement behind it
and we see large parts of SB 55 in several states per year.
Please OPPOSE SB 55.
Sincerely
Walt Hutchens
Timbreblue Whippets
www.timbreblue.com
<ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER>
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SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION
All senators use the same fax number: (804) 698-7651 =20
Use a cover sheet with the name of the senator you're contacting.
The format of the Senate Agriculture Committee info below is:
Name
email address
capitol phone number
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Chairman Charles R. Hawkins
district19@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7519
Senator John H. Chichester
district28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =20
(804) 698-7528
Senator Patricia S. Ticer
district30@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7530
Senator Mary Margaret Whipple
district31@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7531
Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.
district24@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7524
Senator John Watkins
district10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7510
Senator Wm. Roscoe Reynolds
district20@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =20
(804) 698-7520
Senator Phillip P. Puckett
district38@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7538
Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr.
district15@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7515
Senator Harry B. Blevins
district14@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7514
Senator R. Creigh Deeds
district25@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7525
Senator Ken Cuccinelli, II
district37@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7537
Senator Mark D. Obenshain
district26@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7526
Senator Mamie E. Locke
district02@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7502
Senator Ryan T. McDougle
district04@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
(804) 698-7504
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Email addresses only -- some mailers know how to send to all of a list. =20
However, some ISPs may not allow it -- they may think you're a spammer.
district19@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district30@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district31@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district24@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district20@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district38@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district15@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district14@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district25@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district37@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district26@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,district02@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
district04@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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WHERE TO READ THE REAL SB 55=20
GO TO:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?061+ful+SB55
(Plain text =3D existing law; strikethrough =3D removed by SB 55; italics=20=
=3D
added by SB 55.)
PLEASE FORWARD! YES, FOLKS OUTSIDE VIRGINIA CAN HELP!
Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA
"One of the greatest delusions of the world is the HOPE that the EVILS of
this world are to be CURED BY LEGISLATION." Thomas B. Reed 1886
http://www.rihadin.com =20
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