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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Ind. Law - "Farm interests oppose Indiana's puppy mill bill"

Bill Ruthhart has this story Thursday in the Indianapolis Star, headlined "Farm interests oppose Indiana's puppy mill bill." Some quotes:

Indiana Department of Agriculture officials have been working behind the scenes to defeat legislation that would crack down on abusive dog breeders by trying to discredit one of the bill's leading supporters.

Their target: the Humane Society of the United States.

Although the department has taken no official position on the legislation, it acknowledges it has highlighted the Humane Society's history of opposition to confined farming practices, common in Indiana, especially in huge hog operations where animals are raised in close quarters.

A document the agency distributed to lawmakers alleges the Humane Society's goal was the "abolition of all animal agriculture," a notion the group rejected Wednesday. Critics of the bill worry that it could lead to new restrictions on livestock. * * *

Beyond the Agriculture Department's opposition, the Indiana Farm Bureau and many lawmakers representing rural swaths of Indiana have voiced concerns about the animal-welfare group's support for the bill.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the criticism of the group is being used to distract from the heart of the issue: regulating the dog breeding industry and putting a stop to the abuse seen in puppy mills.

"That is a scare tactic," said Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, author of the legislation. "This bill has nothing to do with farming." * * *

A leading foe of the legislation, Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, said Modisett asked her to distribute the information about the Humane Society at a meeting last week of the legislature's "rural caucus" -- a collection of about 40 state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, who represent farming communities.

Leising told those lawmakers that Modisett and the Department of Agriculture oppose the bill. She fears that provisions requiring dogs to be given proper shelter, exercise and living conditions could be applied in the future to livestock and, thus, threaten the state's agriculture business.

"These bills easily could be expanded in the future to apply to livestock," Leising said. "This is a threat to animal agriculture, and I hope this doesn't become law." * * *

Lawson said the Department of Agriculture's involvement and the spread of misinformation about the Humane Society have jeopardized the bill's chances in the final days of the legislative session, which ends Wednesday.

State statute currently requires only that pets receive food and water.

"There is absolutely no reason for this fear, and I don't know how these people get this paranoid," Lawson said. "The only intention is to stop the horrible treatment and abuse of dogs in puppy mills. That's it."

She said the Department of Agriculture was out of line in urging lawmakers to oppose her legislation. In the four months of this year's session, she said, no one with the agency had contacted her with any concerns about the bill. * * *

HB 1468 has passed the House and the Senate and is headed to a conference committee, where lawmakers from each chamber will work to iron out differences on the bill.

Friday Ruthhart had this story in the Star. Some quotes:
No limit to the number of dogs an owner can breed. No state inspections of commercial breeding facilities. No restrictions on how often a dog can be bred.

Those are some of the concessions Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, made Thursday in an attempt to reach a compromise on a bill aimed at cracking down on abuse at Indiana's large-scale commercial breeding operations.

The changes seemed to please Sen. Brent Steele, a key lawmaker representing the Republican majority in the Senate.

"It's nice to see there was some movement," said Steele, R-Bedford. "I wasn't expecting that, quite frankly."

He had expected a debate on a provision in Lawson's bill that would limit a breeder to no more than 30 unspayed female dogs, which he called "nonsensical."

Instead, Lawson started a joint House-Senate conference committee meeting by dropping the cap and numerous other requirements for kennel conditions, state inspections and a limit of one litter per dog per year. Steele said he wanted to review the plan before pledging his support.

The committee's other two members -- Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Elkhart, and Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson -- applauded Lawson's latest plan. * * *

While there are no inspections or dog caps in the revised bill, the legislation would require commercial dog breeders to register with the state for the first time, allowing the attorney general's office to identify operators and ensure they pay taxes.

HB 1468 also strengthens the state's animal-cruelty statute and gives authorities the ability to shut down abusive puppy mills. Current state law requires only that dogs receive food and water, leaving prosecutors unable to bring charges against breeders despite evidence of abuse, torture and killing of dogs.

Anne Sterling, Indiana director for the Humane Society, said she was satisfied with Lawson's proposed deal -- even though she'd like to see a stronger bill.

Lawson said she was more optimistic about a bill passing the General Assembly before Wednesday's session deadline, but she warned that there are still some lawmakers who will strive to kill the legislation.

The bill is HB 1468. No conference committee report has been filed, as of this writing, so we cannot see the language of the proposed compromise.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 25, 2009 01:20 PM
Posted to Indiana Law