02/25/2018
Hi, all,
HB 506 had its first hearing for sponsor testimony on Feb 20. The
bill was placed in the House Government Accountability and Oversight
Committee instead of the Agriculture Committee at the request of the sponsor.
Sponsor of the bill is Representative Brian Hill from Guernsey and
Muskingum counties. Hill is chairman of the House Agriculture
Committee and co-owns a family farm that raises cattle and crops. His
testimony is linked from the House Government Accountability and
Oversight Committee February 20 agenda at
http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/government-accountability-and-oversight.
It is the last bill on the list.
In his testimony, Rep Hill noted that current law has some
deficiencies that HB 506 attempts to fix using sound science and,
where definitive science is not available, using "appropriate and
generally accepted animal care practices."
It is clear from Rep Hill's testimony that the bill is in response to
the HSUS petition drive to place kennel restrictions in the Ohio
Constitution where they will be next to impossible to change. The
road to a constitutional amendment is long, but once the signatures
are gathered and approved, the amendment goes on the ballot and the
emotional appeals to end "puppy mills" take over. Rep Hill noted in
his sponsor testimony that not only is legislation the appropriate
way to fix the deficiencies in current law, HSUS is in violation of
an agreement it made in 2010 with the administration of then-Governor
Ted Strickland to forego animal welfare petition drives in the state
at least until 2020.
Provisions of HB 506 include:
Redefining "high volume breeder" to include those who own more than
seven breeding females, produce at least five litters, and sell at
least 30 puppies in a year;
Redefining "breeding females" as unspayed dogs over a year of age
that are primarily used for producing offspring;
Setting the size of confinement by the weight of the dog rather than
its overall size in a formula that may conflict with the USDA primary
confinement requirement that is allocated by dog height and length;
Adding "thermoneutral zone" as a guide to determine if the ambient
temperature is sufficient to maintain the dog's normal body
temperature without altering its metabolic rate;
Requiring a kennel nutritional plan prescribed by a veterinarian and
a veterinary health exam before the breeding female goes into proestrus; and
Subjecting a larger number of breeders to the licensing fees,
paperwork, and inspections that are already mandated by law.
In re the petition drive: We don't know how well signature-gathering
is proceeding, but we do know that the front group pushing the
petition has contacted veterinarians throughout the state to join the
effort. We also know that veterinarians were involved in writing the
bill and that AKC, the pet industry, and the sportsmen are weighing
in on its provisions.
HB 506 is set for hearing on February 27 at 1 p.m. in room 114 in the
Capitol Building in Columbus. It is the 7th item on a long agenda
where proponent testimony and possible amendments will be heard.
Witnesses provide testimony electronically for distribution to
committee members and the public. Copies will be available on the
committee web page at
http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/government-accountability-and-oversight
following the hearing.
Link to the bill is at
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA132-HB-506.
Anyone may comment by sending testimony to the committee prior to the
hearing, contacting committee members individually, or contacting the
sponsor or cosponsors of the bill. (Cosponsors are listed on the
bill, and contact information is available on each legislators web
page.) Most bills get at least three hearings so that proponents,
opponents, and interested parties have ample opportunity to present
their views.
Norma
Norma Bennett Woolf, Ohio Valley Dog Owners Inc.
