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RESPONSIBLE PIT
BULL OWNERSHIP LICENSING ACT A2906/S2381
This bill imposes a
variety of conditions on American Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Bull type
Dogs, and Rottweilers. A2906/S2381 declares these breeds
to be dangerous and would require their owners to:
· Pay
licensing fees of as much as $700
Obtain hard to get liability
insurance
Muzzle dogs when off premises
Prove that their dog is NOT a Pit
Bull or Pit Bull mix
A2906/S2381
punishes the breed and not the deed. It also allows municipalities to
decide what additional breeds should be regulated. If you allow
this bill to pass, then your breed may be next.
Although the Assembly
Bill’s sponsors, Assemblymen Burzichelli and Guear, claim this bill is
designed to be pre-emptive, the very statistics and rationale upon
which it is based are flawed. At this moment the Assembly Bill seems
stalled. However, the introduction of it into the Senate
demonstrates the determination of its sponsor. Senate Bill 2381
is identical to A2906. Senate sponsors are Senator and Mayor
Sharpe James of Newark and Ronald Rice also of Newark.
What you can do to
help:
1. If
you haven’t already contacted your State Assemblymen you need to do soNOW.
2. Call, e-mail,
or write your State Senator. Tell him/her of your opposition.
3. The
Bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Growth,
Agriculture
and Tourism. It is imperative to kill this Bill so that it fails to
get out of the Committee. For this reason, it is also important to
call, e-mail, or write each of the Committee members. The Committee
is comprised of:
Senator Martha
Bark: 3000 Midlantic Dr., Suite 103, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Tel.: (856)-234-8080 Email:
senbark@njleg.org
Senator Leonard
Connors: 620 West Lacey Rd., Forked River, NJ 08731
Tel.: (609)-693-6700 Email: senconnors@njleg.org
Senator Joseph
Kyrillos: One Arin Park Bldg., Ste 303, 1715 Hwy. 35, Middletown, NJ
07748
Tel.: (732)-671-3206. Email: senkyrillos@njleg.org
Senator Joseph
Vitale: 87 Main St., Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Tel: (732)-855-7441. Email:
senvitale@njleg.org
Senator Raymond
Lesniak: 985 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ 07083
Tel: (908)- 624-0880. Email:
senlesniak@njleg.org
Senator Nia Gill:
425 Bloomfield Ave., 2nd Fl., Montclair, NJ 07042
Tel.: (973)-509-0388. Email: sengill@njleg.org
*Senator Lesniak has
the power to kill this bill!
Tell them that this
Bill penalizes perfectly innocent dogs, just because they happen to be
of a particular breed. Not one animal organization supports this
bill. Remind them that the State already has a Dangerous Dog Law, NJ
4: 19 and that it has been effective. Ask for better enforcement of
existing municipal laws including leash laws. Most attacks have
occurred with unleashed pets. Also ask for stiffer penalties to be
given to criminals who use dogs in the commission of a crime.
WE
MUST NOT LET UP THE PRESSURE. OUR TACTICS HAVE BEEN WORKING.
OTHER
PROPOSED STATE BILLS CONCERNING DOGS:
S 1956
would authorize any municipality
that pays a sum to a county to utilize a county owned or operated
shelter or pound to require any person obtaining a license from the
municipality to also pay a county animal shelter or pound fee of up to
$5. Sponsored by Senator James Cafiero. (Senate Growth, Agriculture
and Tourism)
A 2794
authorizes municipalities to require
a special additional dog license for unsterilized dogs of reproductive
age and establishes a maximum fee that may be charged to be between $1
and $20 for this special additional breeding dog license. Monies
collected from all breeding dog license fees and fines must be
deposited into a special account. This account could be used by the
municipality only for administering and enforcing the breeding dog
ordinance, funding animal
control, and administering and enforcing animal control
and welfare laws and ordinances in
the municipality.
The
bill would provide for a civil fine of up to 10 times the cost of a
breeding dog license for a violation of the breeding dog ordinance.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez. (Assembly Agriculture
and Natural Resources)
A 1934/S 868
permits an individual to care for or treat an animal owned by that
individual and further permits an agent of the owner, acting with the
owner’s consent, to care for or treat an animal, if that individual or
agent does not represent himself as a veterinarian or use any title or
degree appertaining to the practice thereof and does not diagnose,
prescribe or perform surgery. Sponsored by Assemblymen Larry
Chatzidakis and Joseph Roberts and Senator Martha Bark. (Assembly
Regulated Professions and Independent Authority Committee)
This bill would
make it illegal for breeders to perform their own tail docking,
dewclaw removal or ear cropping.
A 2720/A 3074/S
2154 elevates animal cruelty
offenses from fourth to third degree crimes if an animal is killed or
dies from cruelty. Under current law, fines that are between $250 to
$1,000 will increase to a maximum of $5,000. Sponsored by Assemblymen
Joseph Azzolina, George Geist, Robert Smith , Douglas Fisher and John
Burzichelli. (Assembly Agricultural, Natural Resources)
A 363
would appeal statutorily delegated
authority of New Jersey’s SPCA to enforce the state’s animal cruelty
laws. Instead, the Attorney General and Department of Law and Public
Safety would have the primary responsibility for enforcing animal
cruelty laws.
The DHSS and
Department of Law and Public Safety would provide services, materials,
equipment and grants to support municipalities and counties in
administering and enforcing existing laws, as well as conducting
inspections of kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds. The State
Commission on Investigation (SCI) recommended that the SPCA’s
authority to enforce animal cruelty laws be eliminated. Sponsored by
Assemblyman William Carabello and Assemblywoman Arline Frisscia.
(Assembly Agriculture, Natural Resources)
A1612/S1617 authorizes $100,000
from the General Fund to create a grant program directed toward the
175 licensed non-profit animal welfare organizations, to be
administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and
the domestic Animal Council. Grants of up to $25,000 would be awarded
to qualified, tax-exempt, non-profit groups who provide shelter,
rescue, adoption or related services benefiting animal health and
welfare. Two or more organizations must file jointly to encourage the
maximum utilization of funds. Sponsored by Assemblymen Reed Gusciora
and Robert J. Smith and Senator Andrew R. Ciesla. (Senate Economic
Growth)
S61 makes it
a third degree crime to kill a domestic animal during the commission
of a crime. Sentence carries a prison term of 3-5 years and fines of
up to $15,000. Sponsored by Senator Walter J. Kavanaugh. (Senate
Judiciary)
A1909
requires police and fire department dogs to wear identifying vests or
harnesses to prevent tragic accidents. Sponsored by Assemblyman
Bateman. (Assembly Law and Public Safety)
A354
prohibits veterinarians from restricting pet owners choice of
specialist veterinarian. Sponsored by Assemblymen Wilfredo Carabello
and Matt Ahearn. (Assembly Regulated Professions and Independent
Authorities)
To read complete
bills and to find the address of the sponsors, go online to:
www.njleg.state.nj.us, or call your town clerk to locate
legislators. These bills represent just a few of the bills that
concerns animals. They were selected because it was felt that they
represent the ones of greatest interest to our member clubs and their
members.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE
COUNTRY
Appeals Court Supports USDA, AKC
On
January 14, 20003 the US Court of Appeals sided with the USDA and the
AKC in a case that would have made all hobby breeders subject to
federal licensing and inspection. The ruling reversed a lower court
decision, rejecting arguments by the Doris Day Animal League and other
animal rights groups that sought to bring residential breeders under
the umbrella of the Animal Welfare Act.
United Lifts Ban On Shipping Dogs As
Baggage
As of February 15, 2003 United Airlines
will eliminate the restrictions against the shipment of dogs that were
imposed in June of 2000 and again allow them to be shipped as either
excess baggage, cargo, or carry on.
Guardian Becomes
Law in San Francisco
On January 24th San
Francisco’s “guardian” ordinance became a law. The city’s animal
control code can now use the terms “guardian” and “owner”
interchangeably. This disappointing loss comes after years of
opposition from the AKC and San Francisco dog fanciers who believe
that this change may remove resident’s legal rights to protect their
dogs, while doing nothing to prevent a person from abusing an animal.
California Bill
Prohibits Performance Events/Hunting with Dogs
As written, AB342 , is a
poorly worded bill that makes it illegal for any dog to hunt, pursue,
catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture,
or kill any mammal, or to train a dog for such purposes. The intent
of the bill was to restrict the hunting of fur bearing animals. If
this legislation passes, earthdog, tracking, coonhound, herding, lure
coursing, and field trial events could be prohibited. Additionally,
any dog that instinctually takes a wild or feral mammal not as an
organized hunting or performance event would also be in violation of
AB342.
AB342 has
been referred to the Committee on Water, Parks and wildlife. A
hearing is scheduled for March 25, 2003.
Manhattan
Appellate Court Rules in Favor of the AKC
On Thursday, February 27, 2003, the Appellate Division, New York
Supreme Court published its decision in the case of Jon Hammer vs. The
American Kennel Club, finding in favor of the AKC. Mr. Hammer filed
suit against the AKC and the American Brittainy Club alleging that the
official Brittainy calling for dogs to be tailless or tail to be
docked to approximately four inches was discriminatory against dogs
with long tails, and a violation of animal cruelty laws.
On the Local
Scene: Helmetta, NJ
Helmetta residents are faced
with a possible limit law. The proposed law would limit residents of
Helmetta to four pets. The public hearing is scheduled for March 26.
Mayor Frank Haugue
732-521-4846
Municipal Clerk Sandra Bohinski 732-521-4846
Borough of Helmetta
40 Main St.
Helmetta, NJ 08828
Councilwoman Kay
Defau email CRDufau@cs.com is the only Council Member with email. |
