News From LOHV Washington State

The League of Humane Voters and Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation have surveyed legislative candidates on their views of humane legislation. We had 95 responses from candidates in various districts.  The questionnaire asks each candidate whether they would support animal welfare bills covering important topics such as limits on dog tethering, inhumane agricultural practices, low cost spay and neuter and more.  You can find the results of the questionnaire on our LOHV website, www.lohvwastate.org.  This is a great way to become informed on a candidates views before you vote.

 

A preview of our endorsement list, which will be posted on our website shortly.  The process for candidate endorsement for incumbent legislators, is a review of past voting records, overall support of humane legislation while in office and survey responses.  For new candidates we base our endorsement on survey response.  

 

Together the Humane Questionnaire and our endorsement list will inform you of animal friendly candidates.  We can’t pass humane laws without legislators that will support them.  Voting animal friendly candidates into office is the fundamental building block to passing animal protective legislation.  Please take the time to review the Humane Legislation Questionnaire and our endorsement list and vote with the power of knowledge!

 

P.S.  The first annual  Washington Week for the Animals is taking place this week (July 14th through July 22nd).  This event is put on by Animal World USA and designed to bring communities together on behalf of animals.  There is a still a few days left and an event calendar is posted on their website at http://www.washingtonanimals.org/contact.html.  Please support this effort by attending some of the great events occurring this weekend.

 

Thank you all for supporting the animals of Washington State.  You can save thousands of animals with just one vote!

 

Mary Chmelik, Director of The League of Humane Voters, Washington State Chapter

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Majority Of Legislation Signed By Gov. Cuomo Focuses On Local Issues - NY1.com

Majority Of Legislation Signed By Gov. Cuomo Focuses On Local Issues - NY1.com

 Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed more than 150 pieces of legislation before a midnight deadline Wednesday. Many are bills that passed in a flurry of activity in the final days of the legislative session. NY1’s Zack Fink filed the following report.
Many of the bills signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo are local and specific only to certain areas of New York State.
For example, New York City will now have mandatory kindergarten for 5-year-olds. Supporters of the bill, which included members of the New York City Council, said 3,000 kids who were eligible were not enrolling in kindergarten each year. Studies show that early childhood education gives kids a huge advantage when it comes to learning.
"The impetus of this particular legislation was that members of the city council heard around the city that parents that were registering their children in kindergarten at five years old were basically being told that it’s not necessary, you can wait until their kids are six years old. And that our classes are overcrowded. So basically, they were being shooed away,” said Councilman Robert Jackson.
The governor also signed legislation banning paraphernalia used for human-orchestrated animal fighting, specifically dog fighting.
"That includes what’s called a breaking stick. A breaking stick allows you to separate the jaw of a dog if it’s caught on to another dog, if it’s biting another animal,” said Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis.
Another bill gives the city's community boards more input in determining which bars and clubs can obtain liquor licenses through the New York State Liquor Authority or SLA. In Hunts Point, several violent incidents outside nightclubs prompted local leaders to crack down. But under the law, they had little say over what gets licensed. That has now changed.
"No matter what issues were raised by the community, the SLA simply made a black-and-white decision based on the applicant's information and not taking into consideration the concerns of the community. That has to end and this bill finally recognizes the role of the community input in this process,” said Assemblyman Marcos Crespo.
The legislature passed a total of 571 bills this year. Of those, Gov. Cuomo has signed 262 of them, including budget bills. That leaves 309 bills that are awaiting his signature. In this latest round of signings, there were no vetoes.


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Coalition Focuses on Animal Law Issues - MauiWeekly.com | News, information, serving Maui, Hawaii weekly — The Maui Weekly

Coalition Focuses on Animal Law Issues - MauiWeekly.com | News, information, serving Maui, Hawaii weekly — The Maui Weekly


A coalition of local animal welfare organizations gathered at the J.W. Cameron Center on Monday, July 9, for an informal discussion of animal law issues in the State of Hawai'i.
The two-hour grassroots meeting focused on the ongoing battle to improve existing animal welfare laws, as well as efforts to introduce new legislation and regulations that would ensure the protection of creatures great and small across Maui County.
The evening featured presentations from several animal protection groups, including guest speakers Inga Gibson, the Hawai'i State director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Maui Humane Society CEO Jocelyn Bouchard, Rep. George Fontaine and Rene Umberger, speaking on behalf of For the Fishes.
"The issues surrounding animals on Maui are so numerous and complicated that they cannot be addressed by any one individual or organization," said Bouchard. "That's why we are so thrilled to be part of a new coalition of animal welfare groups who all recognize how much more effective we will be working together on behalf of the animals."
To many, Hawai'i has demonstrated leniency toward clear animal rights, and as a result, the state has ranked among the worst states in the nation in terms of animal welfare. Some believe the state Legislature's failure to enact strict, unambiguous animal protection laws is embedded in the sanctioning of cultural and traditional practices such as cockfighting and consumption of dog meat.
For example, in 2011 legislative session, a bill that would have prohibited the slaughter and trade of cat and dog meat was deferred. Rep. Fontaine, who represents the South Maui district in the state House of Representatives, was bitterly disappointed by the outcome of the so-called "Dog Meat Bill."
Rep. Fontaine agreed that the legislative process is often riddled with complexities, which can generate a lot of frustration.
"It's a challenge as a legislator to protect these vulnerable creatures," Rep. Fontaine said. "This is why it's so important to speak up and let your elected officials know that animal cruelty is not okay, and rally around those who support animal rights."
Rep. Fontaine has been an ardent supporter of animal welfare legislation, stemming from incidents of animal cruelty he witnessed firsthand during his years with the Maui Police Department.
"We appreciate Rep. Fontaine's support of animal-related bills and his understanding that these issues reach far beyond the animals themselves," said Bouchard. "We understand all too well the frustration of people using cultural practices to excuse cruel and inhumane acts of violence."
But Gibson, a lobbyist who helped enact last year's landmark law prohibiting the sale or possession of shark fins, said 2012 has also seen its fair share of victories. Gov. Neil Abercrombie recently signed HB 2296 into law, which makes it illegal to sell, transport or purchase products containing bear bile and gallbladders. The governor also signed SB 3001, which prevents the spread of axis


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