01/06/2025
Legislative Update for the Massachusetts Animal Coalition
On December 31 at 1:22 am, the 2023-24 legislative session ended. Animal advocates were in the House and Senate gallery until the end watching the final bills, including animal bills, get enacted and sent to Governor Healey. While the session started slowly, records were set with 5 stand-alone animal bills passing!
Here is a run-down:
“Ollie’s Law” requires reasonable rules and regulations of dog daycares and boarding kennels. It also adjusted some of the kennel laws and will require municipalities to send a list of kennels to the state, which will help understand the number and types of kennels that exist statewide. A licensing authority must now specify the maximum number of animals allowed in a kennel. A committee will soon be formed by MDAR to work on the regulations. See resources below for more information.
Decades in the making, the bill to prohibit the use of elephants, big cats, primates, bears, and giraffes in traveling shows in Massachusetts passed in July and took effect on January 1.
As of January 7, a dog’s breed can no longer be a factor to determine whether a family can adopt or foster children. This bill also removed restrictive language that hindered employees and contractors of human services agencies from reporting suspected animal cruelty.
and
On the Governor’s desk: S. 2552, a bill that bans the cat declawing unless for a therapeutic purpose.
On the Governor’s desk: S. 2908, a bill with provisions that ban the sale of animals under 8 weeks and prevent the roadside/outdoor sale of animals.
More info on these bills at www.mspca.org/currentlegislation
Weigh in with the Governor. She has until Friday the 10th to sign: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/email-the-governors-office
Also this year:
$100,000 was included for the Mass. Animal Fund in the state budget for the spaying and neutering of animals.
Recognizing the “link” between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, harming or threatening to harm an animal was included as part of the definition of “coercive control” in “An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation.” (This law updated and expanded legal language about abuse and also addressed new technology and its use in abusive behavior and sexual harassment.)
Advocates continued to pass laws in their cities and towns ending the sale of puppies from puppy mills and other animals raised in large-scale commercial facilities who are sold in pet shops, banning the sale of new fur products, and restricting the use of rodenticides.
The Governor allowed the beaver, “Nibi,” rehabilitated by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue to remain an educational beaver after attempts at release failed. The Governor’s interest in his fate is very encouraging and hopefully will stop harmful efforts to allow trapping with body-gripping traps and is a good indicator of her positions on other issues that impact wildlife.
The 2025-26 legislative session started on January 1. The deadline for bills to be timely filed is January 17. Hearings will start around May and run through the rest of the year. We expect bills to be filed on:
Pets in housing: bills will seek to increase pet-friendly housing in the state through several changes in our law, primarily impacting state-aided housing and prohibiting discrimination by insurance companies.
Animal Cruelty: bills will seek to ensure that animals are able to be removed from harmful situations, expand the use of citations for cruel conditions (that currently are just allowed for dogs), and prevent the possession of animals after a cruelty conviction.
Breeding: after the removal of minimum standards for dog breeders that was originally part of Ollie’s law, efforts to address this gap in our laws will continue.
Animal Mill to Pet Shop pipeline: dogs, cats, rabbits, AND guinea pigs will be the focus of bills that would prevent the commercial sale of these animals, but allow pet stores to partner with shelters and rescues.
What you can do:
1. Make sure you know who your state representative and state senator are. If you don’t, you can look them up at www.wheredoivotema.com.
2. Sign up for the MSPCA’s alerts at www.mspca.org/jointheteam to be notified about key dates, events, and when urgent action is needed.
3. Contact your legislators after January 17 and ask them to co-sponsor bills to protect animals.Learn about these bills as they are filed on the MSPCA’s or ARL’s websites, below.
Resources:
www.mspca.org/advocacy
www.arlboston.org/animal-advocacy
www.mass.gov/info-details/ollies-law-information
On September 20th, 2024, an Act to Increase Kennel Safety (AKA Ollie’s Law) was signed by Governor Maura Healey.
