MN Pet People.. Legislation Pending, Make Calls!!

anitalynn

Read at the link & copied text below and make calls! Share with friends, family and others!

http://votersforanimals.org/issues-legislation/current-legislation-2011-2012/minnesota-legislators-aim-to-ban-whistleblowers-from-exposing-inhumane-conditions-in-puppy-mills-and-factory-farms/

 C&P from the website linked above:

Senate File 1118 and House File 1369 would criminalize blowing the whistle on animal cruelty, food safety problems, or labor abuses inside puppy and kitten mills or factory farms by making it a crime to take video inside such facilities, or even for the news media to possess or distribute these images.

While purporting to be targeted at actual interference or damage to farming operations, SF 1118/HF 1369 are worded so broadly that they criminalize videotaping or audio recording of activities inside ?animal facilities?. An ?animal facility? includes farming operations, research facilities, veterinary offices, pounds or shelters, pet stores, and commercial kennels. These bills prohibit ?animal facility tampering? (which is already prohibited by state and federal law), ?animal facility interference? (defined, in part, as video or audio taping inside a facility without the owner?s consent, and possessing or distributing such videos), and ?animal facility fraud? (using false pretenses to gain employment at a facility). Some of the provisions in the bills, such as theft, trespass, and fraud are already crimes under existing law. In addition, the chilling effect  this proposed legislation will have, if passed, is detrimental to the public interest in knowing about abuses of animals and consumer product safety violations. The bills also define all equine species, including horses, ponies, mules, jennys, donkeys, and hinnies, as ?agricultural animals?. Once defined as such, they may not receive the greater protections afforded to ?companion animals? under Minnesota?s cruelty statutes.

The bills prohibit usage of one of the most important tools the humane movement has to reduce and prevent animal suffering- undercover investigations that expose animal cruelty and inhumane conditions and practices that go on behind closed doors in Minnesota.

If these bills pass into law, taking undercover footage in Minnesota?s puppy mills, like that captured at Kathy Bauck?s facility by Companion Animal Protection Society, would be a criminal offense, as would taking undercover footage at Minnesota?s slaughter and factory farming facilities, like that taken by the Humane Society of the United States at the Willmar poultry processing facility. Both such videos revealed shockingly inhumane conditions and practices, and in the case of Bauck, led to her conviction for animal torture.  Similar legislation has been introduced in Iowa and Florida, following undercover investigations that revealed inhumane conditions and animal suffering there.

GermanGirl2007

So it looks like the bills were introduced, but no hearings have been scheduled. 

Deadline for policy bills is April 29th from what I understand. Sign up on the MN Legislature website to track both bill numbers so that you get emails when any action is taken on the bill, including authors added, hearings, etc.

I would look at the committees that the bills were referred to and contact other members of those committees encouraging them to vote 'no'.  Contacting the authors won't have as significant of an effect in my opinion. Also, all of the authors are GOP, so contacting DFL legislators on those committees, or more moderate Republicans might be a good idea.  FWIW, the chief author in the Senate (Magnus) is also the chair of the committee it was referred to, so it seems likely that it will pass out of that committee, unfortunately.

Just as a reference, in the House, these are the people to call: Eken, Falk, Fritz, R.Hansen, Hosch, Kath, Morrow, Persell, Poppe, Ward.

And in the Senate: Kubly, Stumpf, Sparks, Skoe, Saxhaug

HTH somewhat?

MrsKizdoodle

Who proposed this bullshizzle!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

There is a special place in you-know-where for people who are okay with turning the other direction when animal abuse is involved.  I don't consider them much better than the ones doing the actual abuse.

This makes me ill.

anitalynn

Yeah - because it looks like it'll pass the committee - I emailed my Representative and my Senator directly. Mine aren't any of the people listed as 'key' to contact. Here is the text I wrote, in case anyone wants to borrow it.

Dear Representative Slocum,
 
My name is Anita ********. I am one of your constituents - my husband and I live in Bloomington with a full house - 4 pets, 2 of them being rescue animals. This pending legislation - HF 1369 - is an issue that is near to my heart.
 
I am writing to urge you to oppose House File 1369. HF 1369 would make it a crime to videotape or show video from inside puppy and kitten mills and factory farms in Minnesota. Undercover investigations protect the public, and the public has an interest in knowing about consumer product safety violations and abuses of animals.
 
I'm sure you recall the Turkey abuse scandal in Wilmar from November 2010 - http://www.startribune.com/business/110189704.html?page=1&c=y - if this pending legislation had been a law, discovering this footage would have been illegal - and that is not in the best interest of Minnesotans or the animals!
 
In addition to the criminalization of videotaping or showing video from animal mills and factory farms, this bill would reclassify horses as 'agricultural' animals instead of companion animals, potentially allowing people to mistreat and abuse horses.
 
I know you are busy - I won't make this any longer. I would appreciate your support on this issue and I urge you to oppose HF 1369. I would love to call your office in the coming days to confirm your stance on this issue. Of course, because I love to appeal to people's hearts - I'm attaching a photo of my two dogs! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my concern!
 
 
Best,
 
Anita *********

GermanGirl2007

I think it is definitely good to contact your senators and reps, for if the bills make it back to the floor, but if you can get it knocked out in committee, all the better.  Also not a bad idea to contact Gov. Dayton, who I would have a hard time believeing would EVER sign a bill like this since he is an animal lover himself.

It's a little bit more work to contact all of those people, but if you can tell them that the bill is awaiting a hearing in their committee they can keep their eyes peeled for it. It will still likely make it back to the floor, but it may inspire more DFLers to vote against it on the floor if people have already voted it down in committee and it is on the radar.

jennyk213

Here's another good website for information. http://www.animalfolksmn.org  These people have been organizing rescue groups, vets and individuals for years to get breeder bills passed. I talked to one of the organizers last year and they are truly passionate about what they do. 

You can scroll to the end of this link http://www.animalfolksmn.org/alerts.html to find the key people you have to convince to vote no.  And if you know someone in their district, get them to call or email.  These senators/representatives have been key people in defeating the breeder bills because their districts have the highest number of these "businesses."  I imagine they're going to be pushing even harder  to get the newest bills passed so their constituents can carry on without worrying they'll be discovered.

ETA:  If you don't fee like clicking on the second link, here are the supporters that you need to contact:

Who is supporting these bills?

The chief authors of these bills, Representative Rod Hamilton (R, 22B), and Senator Doug Magnus (R, 22) are the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, respectively. As Chairs, Hamilton and Magnus have authority to choose which bills they will grant a hearing, and enjoy tremendous influence when it comes to deciding which bills will pass. In the House, the following Representatives have signed on their support: Cornish; Davids; Urdahl; Dettmer; Anderson, P.; Drazkowski. In the Senate, the following Senators have signed on to support the bill: Rosen; Skoe; Ingebrigtsen; Sparks.