Legislation

There is a loophole in the animal welfare legislation that allows puppy mills to go without inspection and license if they sell puppies online. This means that puppy mills can continue to operate and mistreat the dogs in their care. This past May, 3 Senators introduced the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act (PUPS) to […]

Along with the Best Friends Animal Society, we ask you to contact your congressional representatives and urge them to vote YES on the PUPS bill. Currently, the Animal Welfare Act requires only that commercial dog breeders have a U.S. Department of Agriculture license to sell wholesale to pet stores and brokers. If puppies are sold […]

Nitro’s Law, H.B. 108, has been reintroduced to Ohio’s House of Representatives. Nitro’s Law amends an existing law protecting animal companions. It allows prosecutors, at their discretion, to charge kennel owners with a felony, bringing stronger penalties, instead of the present misdemeanor. Kennel owners will be charged for failing to provide basic necessities and/or inflicting […]

The HSUS, ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary believe a compromise reached by 2 Missouri animal welfare groups and puppy mill associations does not adequately protect breeding dogs and their puppies. The new language is vague and unclear, weakening the proposals in Prop B. Prop B – breeding females rest at least every 3rd cycle. […]

Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger vetoed a California bill to prevent landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their cats. The bill asked that a $2500 fine be levied for each time declawing or devocalitzation is required in a landlord-tenant agreement. Landlords would not have been allowed to advertise, discouraging owners whose pets are not declawed or devocalized. […]

New from the ASPCA: On Wednesday, July 21st, the U.S. House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to pass H.R. 5566, the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010. Congress will soon recess for the summer, but hopefully a companion bill will be introduced in the Senate in September. It is vital […]

News from the No Kill Advocacy Center: New York State Senator Joseph Robach and Assembly Member Micah Kellner have introduced legislation called the Companion Animal Adoption and Rescue Act, CAARA (Senate Bill S05363A). CAARA addresses the following: Makes it illegal to kill an animal if qualified rescue groups are willing to save it; Ends “convenience” […]

According to the ASPCA blog…Hard work by legislators, the animal welfare community and animal advocates helped bring many wonderful state-level bills over the finish line in 2009. Many states continued to pass anti-animal fighting laws, multiple states passed laws to restrict tethering, increase penalties for intentional acts of animal cruelty and allow pets to be […]

The Governor of Missouri has signed SB113, repealing Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. Prop B was approved by voters in November, 2010. The new bill significantly weakens the provisions in Prop B as the effort of puppy mill owners and the agricultural industry in Missouri has intended. The agricultural business in other […]

The HSUS has ranked states on their roles in animal welfare for 2011. Here are the results. California comes in Number One. The state has enacted nearly a dozen new laws in 2011 for the welfare of animals. New Jersey and Oregon tied for 2nd place and Illinois and Massachusetts tied for 4th place. The […]