Dear pet lovers in the state of North Dakota,
If you are not already aware of this, a bill, SB 2365, was sponsored to update the current animal cruelty laws in our state. The Senate Agriculture Committee did not pass the bill but instead created an amendment to study the bill during the interim.
I attended the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing and some of the organizations who were initially involved in rewriting the law did not want the bill to pass because sections were added that they had not discussed. If this is the case, I completely understand why they wouldn't want the bill to pass at this time. However, they did discuss the proposed changes to the penalty section and all agreed on this. The Senate Agriculture Committee asked these individuals if they would be ok with only passing the felony section while the rest of the bill was studied during the interim. They all said YES.
Changes to wording of this section cites, "A class C felony for a second or subsequent offense within five years." Talk to anyone working at an animal shelter in our state and you'll hear about their experiences with abused cats and dogs, including the rescue efforts of dogs at the puppy mill in Scranton in 2010. Note: The law as worded in the bill, as with the current law, DOES NOT APPLY to production of livestock and lawful hunting/trapping/fishing.
Last week the bill crossed over to the House of Representatives. We have a window of opportunity to let our voices be heard!
If you want to make a BIG difference in the lives of pets in North Dakota, tell the state representatives and members of the House Agriculture Committee that you support passing the penalty section of SB 2365 during this legislative session while the rest of the bill is studied during the interim.
Letting your voices be heard is EASY: call 1-888-635-3447 to leave a message on your views about this bill. The person assisting you will even look up your district for you and get the message to the appropriate people! Ask that your message be shared not only with the representative from your district but all House representatives. If you can't get through just keep trying!
You could also email the members of the House Agriculture Committee with the same message:
Dennis Johnson - Chairman: djohnson@nd.gov
Joyce Kingsbury - Vice Chairman: jkingsbury@nd.gov
Wesley R. Belter: wbelter@nd.gov
Tracy Boe: tboe@nd.gov
Tom Conklin: tconklin@nd.gov
Craig Headland: cheadland@nd.gov
Richard Holman: rholman@nd.gov
Phillip Mueller: pmueller@nd.gov
David S. Rust: drust@nd.gov
Mike Schatz: mischatz@nd.gov
Jim Schmidt: jeschmidt@nd.gov
Wayne Trottier: wtrottier@nd.gov
John D. Wall: jwall@nd.gov
Dwight Wrangham: dwrangham@nd.gov
Sample message:
Dear members of the North Dakota House Agriculture Committee,
I was pleased to learn that SB 2365 has been introduced in the North Dakota Legislature. It would elevate the crime of cruelty to a companion animal to a Class C felony for a second or subsequent offense within five years.
While the Senate Agriculture Committee passed an amendment to study this bill due to questions about other areas of the bill, it seems feasible to pass the felony section of the bill now and study the rest of the bill during the interim. I respectfully ask that you consider this option.
Thank you for your time,
[Name]
[Address]
Please share this with everyone you know who supports treating our pets with respect and love!
