WE CAN NEVER LET OUR SHELTERS BE
ENDANGERED AGAIN
A seemingly innocuous bill amending a Public Utilities Act ended up nearly destroying all of the animal shelters in Illinois.
And animal activists, including www.animalnewswire.net, will make sure THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
What was most shocking and disturbing is that the state senators who voted on the final Animal Shelter Destruction Act supported it 54-0!
Fortunately, animal rights activists rallied together to stall the bill permanently in the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee.
In other words, the 10 committee members stopped this bill that was unanimously passed in the Senate. Apparently, most, if not all the senators VOTED ON A BILL THAT THEY DID NOT READ.
And once the bill entered the House, Ledy VanKavage, senior legislative attorney for the Best Friends Animal Society, began warning people about this very bad bill. But it was a second warning from VanKavage in mid-May that prompted www.animalnewswire.net to research the bill and sound the alarm.
From there, the animal activist network, including VanKavage, began contacting legislators, and soon this horrible bill was tabled – permanently.
Senate Bill 648, a minor amending of the Public Utilities Act, first was filed on Jan. 23 by Senate President John Cullerton. On March 20, the proposal breezed through the Executive Committee 10-0, but then on April 11, the bill took a sharp, dramatic turn.
Acting on a complaint of a constituent whose dog had been taken away by a humane officer, state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Staunton, put in Senate Floor Amendment No. 1.
Manar amended the Animal Welfare Act. It provided “that an animal control facility may not release any animal to an individual representing an animal shelter, unless the individual is a representative of a not-for-profit, out-of-State organization and the animal is being transferred out of the State of Illinois.”
It further “provided that no animal shelter may impound or accept a stray dog or cat, unless such animal is released to the animal control facility or law enforcement officer with jurisdiction the next business day and that any animal shelter that impounds or accepts a stray dog or cat and does not transfer the animal to the local animal control or law enforcement officer by the next business day shall be in violation of the Act and shall be fined.”
In other words, Manar was saying that if you find a stray, you better get that cat or dog to animal control or you will face a fine.
Furthermore, Manar’s amendment “prohibits any representative of an animal shelter from entering upon private property and removing an animal without a search warrant or court order.” A dog is chained to a dog house with no food or water and it’s 100 degrees? Manar says that’s too bad, you can’t do anything about it – even if the dog dies.
Manar then allowed for “animal shelters and animal control facilities to enter into mutual agreements for the purposes of animal control, boarding, holding, or other services, provided that the agreement requires the parties to adhere to the provisions of the Animal Control Act, the Humane Euthanasia in Animal Shelters Act, and the Humane Care for Animals Act.”
So, the animal shelter would have to follow animal control euthanasia and kill animals after a designated period of time. No-kill shelters, the true future of this country, would be no more in Illinois.
And then Manar wanted to make “humane investigators” follow his demands or they would face punishment, even removal of their licenses.
Manar’s bill would amend the Humane Care for Animals Act. It stated that “persons designated as human investigators shall notify local law enforcement or the local animal control agency prior to conducting an investigation into a complaint within the jurisdiction of such law enforcement or animal control agency. It further provides that persons designated as a humane investigator may have his or her approval suspended or revoked by the Department if he or she engages in certain conduct and that the animal shelter or humane society sponsoring a person designated as a humane investigator shall be fined and is subject to having its license suspended or revoked if the person is found to have committed an infraction in an administrative hearing by the Department.”
Manar wanted to put the reins on humane investigators, but thank to animal activists, the bill was stopped dead in its tracks, and we will never allow it to get that far again. We will be steadfast in keeping up with the Illinois House and Senate in future years.
If such garbage as Manar’s sneaky amendment is introduced in the next legislative session in 2015, we will lead the charge in putting an end to it and knocking these people out who introduce such bills.
We know such changes go to the House or Senate Agriculture and Conservation Committee. We will be watching what bills get in there, and we will alert all animal activists if something this deceptive such as Manar’s manure occurs again.
ABOUT US …
Animal Newswire.net is your independently owned pathway to breaking animal news. We scour the web for the good, the bad, and the ugly in animal news, and deliver you to those sites so you can get the rest of the story.
As long-time animal lovers, we’re not afraid to sift through the news and get to the heart of a story – and our headlines reflect that. If you like animals, history, and a darned good story, Animal Newswire.net is the place to visit. We’ve also got a sense of humor and like looking for unusual stuff; that’s why we’ve included our “Outer Limits” page.
We’re also dedicated to addressing the suffering of animals worldwide – that’s click onto our alerts page to link you directly to the many campaigns going on to stop cruelty.
We also believe that this country can end the tragedy of millions of homeless dogs and cats dying in shelters each year because there aren’t enough homes for them. The U.S. can become a no-kill country, if we have the political will to do so. Spay and neuter your pet for starters; adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue group. Kittens are cute, but don’t forget about the millions of wonderful adult cats abandoned at shelters and just waiting for a home to call their own again.
Also, it’s not cruel to use a crate until your dog is old enough to have the run of the house while you’re gone. And, if you’re a dog owner, please, please, please, take it through an obedience class. It’s our belief that very few dogs would end up in shelters if these three approaches – crate training, obedience and spay/neuter – were used. Don’t forget, too, that your pet is part of your family. Love them like they love you – unconditionally.
And we hope you take the time to get active and make changes for the positive. As community activists, we’ve seen the power of the people at work – phone calls and letters to your elected officials do make a difference. Get active locally – see how your community treats animals. What’s the adoption rates at your local pound? If it’s low, you can make changes. Education, spay/neuter programs and adoptions do make a difference. Start attending your city, village and county board meetings. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THINGS. There’s nothing like a room full of people to make a bunch of elected officials respond to you.
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