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November 2004
REPORT OF THE LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
By Joan Tabor
It has been a very busy
several months for me personally, having recently recuperated from a total
knee replacement in July. In September, I participated with the AKC’s Lobby
Day in Washington, D.C. On October 8, I traveled down to Cape May Court
House (no little trip from Northern NJ), joining NFDC President, Priscilla
Gabosch and Chris Levenknight in a meeting with Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew.
On October 28th, I joined Priscilla Gabosch and Barbara Wicklund
in a meeting with New Jersey Animal Welfare Task Force Chairwoman, Judith
Lieberman, at the Statehouse in Trenton. Priscilla Gabosch and I are
expecting to be part of a meeting with Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, to
discuss some of the provisions of her Bill, A3219, in the very near
future.
I am looking forward to a little R & R with
the holidays coming and would like to extend my best wishes for a happy
holiday to all member clubs.
New Jersey State Legislation
S1718, Responsible Pit Bull Licensing Act
Sponsored by Senator (and Newark Mayor), Sharpe James.
Although no movement has occurred since the bill’s inception in June,
neither has Senator James withdrawn it. This bill would allow
municipalities to require special licenses for Pit Bulls and any of the
“Bully Breeds”, or any mix that looks remotely like a Pit Bull. If the
requirements of this bill were to pass, few persons would be able to obtain
the necessary liability insurance. Contact members of the Senate Committee
on Economic Growth, Agriculture and Tourism to voice your opposition.
Please see last month’s Report of the Legislation Committee for the details
at: njfederationofdogclubs.org
A2373
The bill would prohibit insurance companies from
discriminating against homeowners based on a dog’s breed. There is
tremendous opposition from insurance providers to this bill. Its only hope
of passing is if dog fanciers contact Assemblyman Joseph Roberts, the
Assembly Majority Leader, as well as their own assembly member and ask them
for their support and to bring this to the floor for a vote.
What You Can Do:
Contact Assembly Majority Leader, Joseph J.
Roberts, Jr.
Brooklawn Shopping Center Plaza
Route 139 & Browning Road
Brooklawn, NJ 08030
(856) 742 -7600
AsmRoberts@njleg.org
Contact your own New Jersey State Assemblyman/Assemblywoman.
Tell him/her that the passage of this bill is very important to you and urge
him/her to support this bill. To find out who is your representative go to
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp
Sign the petition that is on the website. Urge
any New Jersey resident to sign the petition.
A3219
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein,
Legislative District 14.
Requires all cats and dogs released from pounds and
shelters be sterilized with certain exceptions; establishes special fund for
sterilizations; increases certain dog-related fees and dedicates increases
to the fund. The bill is complex and contains errors, such as referring to
professional licensed breeders, registered with the American Kennel Club.
It would place the entire licensing burden on dog owners by increasing the
differential portion of the license for an unsterilized dog to $20. While
Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein’s office staff has assured us that
this bill is headed nowhere in its present state and that the NJFDC
will be among the group representatives included in a meeting on this bill,
it would not hurt if the membership would contact her office at this point
and voice their ardent opposition it.
Contact Assemblywoman Linda R.
Greenstein
7 Centre Drive, Suite 2
Monroe, NJ 08831-1565
(609)- 395-9911
FAX (609) 395-9032
AsmGreenstein@njleg.org
The New Jersey Animal Welfare Task Force Report
The 183-page report is out in publication. It contains
many good and many not so good recommendations. It is important to stress
that the report is non-binding in its current state. It is expected
that Task Force Chairwoman, Lieberman and staff will try to meet with some
of the legislators and their staff in the coming months to translate some of
the material into legislation. It is not a given and will have to be
monitored closely to determine what becomes of its recommendations. If you
would like to download the report, it may be accessed at:
http://www.state.nj.us/animalwelfaretaskforcereport.pdf
Local Legislation
Princeton Borough officials are
considering a proposal that would enable animal control officers to declare
a dog “menacing” if it poses a threat of bodily death to a human being.
Once a dog is declared menacing, owners would be forced to secure the dog in
an approved enclosure, or keep the dog leashed and muzzled when off the
property. The owner would have to obtain $100,000 in liability insurance.
Violators would be subject to a $500 fine.
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