01-18-13 3rd District Council Member Voices Opposition to SB 598

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ypVFll,ry� i t }� pr tqn v Y t v ,ypt TNg . W-44 f. F �asc „r 4�1\'.0 i q r► " ' iJi. . xe4s NEWS RELEASE Date: Friday, January 18, 2013, 12 Noon Co"(574) -9623 From: 3rd District Council Member Valerie Schey vscheygsouthbendin.gov "3rd District Council Member Voices Opposition to SB 598 Addressing Animal Rescue Operations" SB 598 is pending in the Indiana General Assembly. If passed, it would take effect on July 1, 2013. It would require registration of private animal rescue operations with the Board of Animal Health and the payment of an annual registration fee of $75.00. The Bill would further prohibit other units of government to pass or enforce ordinances which may have more stringent requirements on commercial dog breeders, commercial dog brokers or private animal rescue operations. On Tuesday, January 15t", SB 598 was referred to the Commerce, Economic Development & Technology(CEDT) Committee. As an elected South Bend City Council Member, who is acutely aware of how much assistance our local animal rescue organizations help our City's Animal Care and Control Division, I am very concerned about this proposed legislation. For example, in 2011 our local rescue partners accepted 470 animals from our shelter that, due to space and financial constraints we could no longer hold. Not only did this save those 470 lives, but the entire burden of caring for those animals (financial and otherwise) was shifted from the City and taxpayer to a private entity. My understanding of SB 598 is that it seeks to impose the same oversight and regulation on our State's puppy mill operations be placed on the State's animal rescue organizations. In contrast to the problematic puppy mill operations around the state, animal rescue organizations provide a significant benefit to our communities and our municipal animal control centers. Another loophole in the bill is the language referring to hobby breeders. In South Bend, these are the people who are commonly referred to as "backyard breeders". The backyard breeders are the people that are breeding pit bulls for profit and then dump the litters they don't sell at the shelter for the City to care for them at taxpayer expense. SB 598 suggests that these people would be allowed to continue doing what they are currently doing and possibly even be allowed to expand their operations (line 10-12 of the Bill indicates that a hobby breeder can maintain up to 20 unaltered female dogs). I believe this proposed legislation should be stopped in its tracks. I am therefore contacting members of the Indiana General Assembly and members of the CEDT Committee to raise awareness of these issues. I encourage others to do the same, so that this Bill is defeated.