THLN Gains Key Victories in the 2015 Texas Legislative Session
AUSTIN, Texas, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sometimes, during a legislative session, helping get bad bills killed is just as important as getting good bills passed. The 84th Session of the Texas Legislature was such a session.
House Bill 593, sponsored by Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth and introduced by THLN, was a solid "win" for both peace officers and animals they encounter in the line-of-duty. "HB593 better informs Texas peace officers on how to avoid and defend themselves against a canine attack as well as protect the life and safety of the family pet," according to representative Collier.
The bill requires mandatory canine encounter training for incoming Texas peace officers as well as those who seek advancement. For the past eighteen months, THLN has worked in association with law enforcement agencies as well as dog shooting victims' families in order to significantly reduce the number of fatalities for our four-legged family members. Shelby Bobosky, THLN Vice-President and Legislative Co-Chair states, "In 2014, over 200 dogs were shot by law enforcement in Texas. This is a common sense bill to help prepare Texas peace officers for a safe and non-confrontational outcome." The bill passed with little opposition.
Equally important were two bad bills for exotic animals that were killed by the Texas Humane Legislation Network. The first, Senate Bill 987, was brought to exempt "Zoological Association of America" (ZAA) members from the Texas Dangerous Wild Animal Registration Act. Cile Holloway, President of THLN, states, "By killing this bill, Texas will not become a breeding ground for roadside zoos and exotic breeders." The second, House Bill 2139, would have granted a special tax break to the Dallas World Aquarium. In particular, the owner was seeking a tax write off for the cost of trapping, transporting, and maintaining exotic animals.
Unfortunately, House Bill 2562, also known as the Humane Tethering Bill, died in the House among many other bills. It would have greatly improved the lives of tethered dogs and those dogs who live outside without access to food, water and shelter. The bill's sponsor, Representative Kenneth Sheets (R-Dallas) had bipartisan support with more than 40 co-sponsors, and THLN plans to bring this bill back next session in 2017.
A full "End of Session" report is available on THLN.org or by request.
About Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN)
Texas Humane Legislation Network is a non-profit organization that has been working to pass mainstream animal welfare legislation at the state level since 1975. Companion animals, homeless animals, horses, farm animals, native Texas wildlife, and exotic animals have been protected due to the bills that THLN wrote and advocated to pass into law. THLN believes that animals deserve compassion and their abusers deserve punishment, and that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is a noble cause. THLN asserts that due to its efforts, animal cruelty is a state jail felony; dog-fighting is illegal; large scale commercial breeders are regulated to ensure "puppy mills" can be shut down; tens of thousands of dogs and cats have been sterilized through funding from the Animal Friendly License Plate program; and gas chamber euthanasia is now banned in Texas animal shelters.
THLN encourages concerned citizens to join its Action Alert email list to be kept informed on where and when to call in support of animal welfare legislation. For more information, visit www.thln.org.
Contact: Stacy Sutton Kerby - [email protected]; 1-888-548-6263
SOURCE Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN)
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