Vermont Animal Welfare Legislation 2017/2018 Session
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VERMONT ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION 2017/2018 SESSION Bill Number and Statement of Purpose Sponsor(s) Status, Committee Assignment Title and Action Steps H.60, An act relating This bill proposes to require the Fish and Rep. David Deen Assigned to the House Committee on to the hunting of Wildlife Department to conduct a study of the D, Windham-4 Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife coyotes current coyote population and hunting/trapping regulations in Vermont, policies in place in other The Committee received testimony on states, how those policies reflect proper wildlife the bill and decided, instead of management practices, and suggestions for advancing legislation, to direct the reforms. Fish and Wildlife Department to conduct the study directly through a letter to Commissioner Porter. The report is due by January 15, 2018. S.12 and H.188, An act This bill increases the maximum prison sentence Sen. Robert Starr S.12 has PASSED the SENATE and is relating to for animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty D, Essex-Orleans now under consideration, along with increasing the Raises the maximum sentence for H.188, by the House Committee on penalties for animal misdemeanor animal cruelty from one to Rep. Kurt Wright Judiciary cruelty five years, and the felony maximum R, Chittenden 6-1 sentence from five to ten years. Action Steps: H.188 creates a “reckless course of Contact your legislators and ask them conduct” standard for actions that result to SUPPORT the bill. in the death of the animal. Contact the members of the House Committee on Judiciary and ask them to SUPPORT the bill. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT S.12 and H.188. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.204, An act This bill updates and improves various Rep. Tommy Walz Assigned to the House Committee on relating to standards standards for the care of domestic pets. D, Washington-3 Agriculture and Forestry for the care of Clearly defines and prohibits the domestic pets abandonment of pets or poisoning of Action Steps: community cats. Contact your legislators and ask Affirmatively bans the use of gas them to SUPPORT the bill. chambers by animal shelters and rescues. Provides proper legal protections for Contact members of the House humane population control programs for Committee on Agriculture and community cats (TNR). Forestry and ask them to SUPPORT the bill. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.204. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.218, An act This bill proposes to amend the requirements Rep. John Bartholomew PASSED the HOUSE, pending in the relating to the for the sheltering of dogs. D, Windsor-1 Senate Committee on Agriculture adequate shelter of dogs and cats Rep. Gary Viens Action Steps: R, Orleans-2 Contact your legislators and ask them to SUPPORT the bill. Contact members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and ask them to SUPPORT the bill. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.218. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.219, An act This bill would allow Vermont’s low-income Rep. John Bartholomew PASSED the HOUSE, pending in the relating to the spay and neuter program to be run directly by D, Windsor-1 Senate Committee on Government Vermont spaying the Department for Children and Families if no Operations and neutering qualified contractor is capable of running the program program on its behalf. Current laws requires the Action Steps: program to be run by a third-party contractor, Contact your legislators and ask raising concerns about whether the program them to SUPPORT the bill. could continue to operate if no qualified contractor was available, potentially cutting off Contact members of the Senate access to spay and neuter services. Committee on Government Operations and ask them to SUPPORT the bill. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.219. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.220 and S.117, An This bill would limit the sale, purchase, or barter Rep. James McCullough Assigned to the House Committee on act relating to the of ivory and items containing ivory or rhino D, Chittenden-2 Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife sale of ivory or horn. and the Senate Committee on rhinoceros horn Elephant poaching in Africa is at a record Rep. Kathryn Webb Economic Development, Housing and high—one is slaughtered for its tusks D, Chittenden 5-1 General Affairs every 15 minutes. Experts estimate they could be gone from the wild within Sen. Christopher Pearson Action Steps: decades. P/D, Chittenden Contact your legislators and ask Federal laws do not regulate ivory sales them to SUPPORT the bill. within Vermont. Prohibiting ivory sales Sen. Ginny Lyons within the state would reduce demand D, Chittenden Contact members of these and cease Vermont’s participation in this Committees and ask them to bloody trade. SUPPORT the bill. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.220 and S.117. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.252, An act This bill would create pet vehicle registration Rep. Brian K. Savage Assigned to the House Committee on relating to pet plates and raise funding for animal shelters and R, Franklin-4 Transportation specialty license rescues plates The graphic design would be Rep. Marianna Gamache Action Steps: recommended by the Vermont Humane R, Franklin-4 Contact your legislators and ask Federation to enhance public awareness them to SUPPORT the bill. of the work of animal shelters and rescue organizations. Contact members of the House $15 from the sale of each plate would be Committee on Transportation and used to provide grants to support the ask them to SUPPORT the bill. work of animal shelters and rescue organizations in Vermont. Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.252. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.262, An act This bill would require the training and licensing Rep. James McCullough Assigned to the House Committee on relating to the of individuals who trap or kill nuisance wildlife D, Chittenden-2 Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife licensing of nuisance for a fee wildlife control Currently, individuals who are paid to trap Action Steps: operators nuisance wildlife animals are not licensed by Contact your legislators and ask the state and undergo no specific training in them to SUPPORT the bill. humane standards or non-lethal conflict resolution options. They are not even Contact members of the House required to have a VT trapping license. Committee on Natural Resources, According to the VT Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife and ask them to Department, it “is reasonable to expect, therefore, that some of this work is being SUPPORT the bill. completed by people having little trapping experience and/or limited knowledge of the Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- modern Best Management Practices trapping 828-2228 and tell them you methods and devices.” SUPPORT H.262. They will pass that The bill directs the Fish and Wildlife message to the correct Committee. Department to require licensing and training for commercial operators, encourage non- lethal options, require the use of humane trapping and dispatch methods, and mandate reporting of information about animals trapped. H.310, An act This bill would improve and clarify the Rep. David Ainsworth Assigned to the House Committee on relating to adequate shelter standards that apply to livestock, R, Windsor-Orange-1 Agriculture and Forestry shelter for livestock including equines The lack of detail in the livestock statute Action Steps: makes the current shelter requirements Contact your legislators and ask difficult to understand, communicate, and them to SUPPORT the bill. enforce by animal control officers and law enforcement. Contact members of the House The bill provides a definition for Committee on Agriculture and adequate “natural” or “constructed” Forestry and ask them to SUPPORT shelter, creates a requirement for the bill. exercise and proper ventilation, and sets standards for the use of a leash, rope, or Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- chain. 828-2228 and tell them you SUPPORT H.310. They will pass that message to the correct Committee. H.325, An act This bill would prohibit sexual contact Rep. Curtis McCormack Assigned to the House Committee on relating to between a person and an animal D, Chittenden 6-3 Judiciary prohibiting Animal sexual abuse (bestiality) is the bestiality sexual molestation of an animal by a Rep. Clement Bissonnette Action Steps: human, and like rape, is involves the D, Chittenden 6-7 Contact your legislators and ask eroticization of violence, control and them to SUPPORT the bill. exploitation. Vermont is one of only eight states (the Contact the members of the House only north of West Virginia) where it is Committee on Judiciary and ask them legal to have sex with an animal. to SUPPORT the bill. Animal sexual abuse is the single largest risk factor and strongest predictor of Call the VT Sergeant-at-Arms at 802- increased risk for committing child 828-2228 and tell them you sexual abuse. SUPPORT H.325. They will pass that The bill would prohibit engaging in message to the correct Committee. sexual contact with animals and trafficking, offering, soliciting, or advertising animals for sex. It includes an exemption for accepted and lawful animal husbandry and veterinary practices. H.336, An act This bill would establish a Wildlife Management Rep.