Attention Texans!!!
MV
is a felony, I thought the NRA and other TX gun lobbyists might be interested in
being at the meeting THIS coming Wednesday. Get this info out to the gun
lobbyists and dog clubs (conformation and working) ASAP to see if they will help
the dog breeders fight this one.
The Senate Hearing for Companion Bill 411 will be next Wednesday
April 11, 1:30 p.m. Warm bodies (yes, you!) are needed to attend and
speak out. Please contact Jeff Shaver, Esq. at 713-557-0807 for
more details if you are able to attend this hearing in Austin.
taken from this site http://www.thln.com/List_of_Bills_to_Support_or_Oppose.pdf
<<<Bill No. SB 411 Introduced By: Senator Eliot Shapleigh (D- Dist. 29)
Subject: Relating to dog attacks on persons.
Bill Analysis: This bill is somewhat similar to HB 1355, but is more stringent
and not as well
thought through and reasoned. In this bill, the first offense is a state jail
felony and if death is
caused, a third degree felony. In addition, this bill provides for a civil
penalty of up to $10,000.
Also this bill does not require negligence on the part of the owner.>>>
What a backhanded legislative move to end gun ownership in TX. Someone let's
your dog out and it bites someone or some kids (AR's) taunt it into biting and
you are a felon and lose your right to own a gun.
This is poorly conceived, hastily written legislation that we will all
regret if we aren't careful. If you can't GO, at least email or call your
representative and let them know you care and you are watching them.
"You should not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will
convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do
and the harm it would cause if improperly administered." President Lyndon
Baines Johnson
Please crosspost!!
Based on this past Wednesday's results it appears that House Bill
1355 is on its way to become law. What will this mean? First bite
will be a felony.
The Senate Hearing for Companion Bill 411 will be next Wednesday
April 11, 1:30 p.m. Warm bodies (yes, you!) are needed to attend and
speak out. Please contact Jeff Shaver, Esq. at 713-557-0807 for
more details if you are able to attend this hearing in Austin.
Thank you.
Rosanna
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance <rp...@texas.net <mailto:rpoa%40texas.net> >
wrote:Date: Fri, 6
Apr 2007 17:43:25 -0500
From: Responsible Pet Owners Alliance <rp...@texas.net
<mailto:rpoa%40texas.net> >
April 6, 2007
Thanks to Jeff Shaver and Zandra Anderson for representing RPOA and
Texas dog owners in Austin Wednesday night to oppose HB 1355, the
dangerous dog bill. Unfortunately they were greatly outnumbered -- to
put it mildly.
Jeff wrote: "I want to personally commend all those who showed up,
stayed late, and participated either by registering their opposition
or testifying at the hearing. As for everyone else whose schedules
were too busy, whose time is too valuable, and who might think this
law will never affect them, I am sorely disappointed. This is how bad
law is made. Bad law will punish us and not prevent a single horrific
dog attack by a loose animal from occurring. Two years from now they
will scream for even worse laws when this one fails to stop dog
attacks."
Read Jeff's report on HB 1355 below in its entirety. Texas has had
several tragic fatalities from dog attacks in the past year. Jeff
said some speakers were calling for breed specific legislation at the
hearing, including the Texas Municipal League which has been lobbying
several years to repeal existing state law prohibiting BSL in Texas
cities. An amendment can be made at anytime during the hearings or
on the floor to make these bills breed specific and repeal existing
law. Rep. Gattis said his bill is to "send a message." Texas dog
owners evidently aren't listening. Or they simply don't get the
message that you shouldn't own a large dog because of the extreme
liability and the possibility you'll spend years in jail with rapists
and murderers.
We'll get out an Action Alert on the Senate Hearing for Companion
Bill 411 tomorrow. Feel free to crosspost this message. The hearing
is 1:30 pm next Wednesday , April 11th. (More later.) If you can
attend, call Jeff at 713-557-0807 because unless we have a better
showing than we did for the House bill, Jeff is not going to waste
his time driving to Austin and testifying. We don't blame him.
There are 318 AKC dog clubs in Texas and a vast number of John Doe
dog owners in Texas and we can't even get 200 -300 people to a
hearing? Will we let Texas go the way of California, Colorado, New
Mexico and other states that are outlawing pet ownership?
******************************************
Jeff wrote:
Mary Beth: I wanted to give you an update on what happened at the
hearing yesterday/last night in this matter. The hearing was
scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. but did not start until about 8:30
p.m. It ended at 11:45 p.m. and I got home at 3:45 a.m. Zandra
Anderson and I both went from Houston. We had approximately 9 people
show up to speak against the bill, 5 of whom actually spoke. The
family of several people who have been attacked or killed by dogs had
a press conference on the steps of the Capitol before the hearing
began and had between 100-150 people at the hearing signed up to
testify. Approximately 20-30 testified and there were a lot of heart
wrenching stories about loose dogs attacking people causing serious
injury or death. In my opinion, this bill will get out of the House
committee and in all likelihood will pass on the House floor. This
bill, as currently written, is a serious risk to everyone who owns a
dog in the State of Texas. Frankly, there may be a shot at defeating
this bill in the Senate but without support from the AKC clubs in
this State, of which there are several hundred, as well as all other
dog owners in this State, we will not have a chance at all of
stopping this legislation or any other anti-dog legislation in this
session. The media has generated too much publicity on these cases
and reason cannot stop emotions in hearings like these where
essentially no one shows up to testify against the bill. Frankly, if
I do not get a commitment from several dozen people to attend and
stay until the hearing is over and testify, I am not sure how much
more of my time and effort should be spent on defeating a bill which
will in fact pass if people do not oppose it. I would ask that you
send this out to all RPOA representatives and members and any other
group/organization you like.
The Senate hearing for this matter is now scheduled for April 11,
2007 at 1:30 p.m. Again, by Tuesday, if I do not have a list of
several dozen people who will come prepared to testify, stay, and in
fact testify, I will have to reconsider my plans to attend. A handful
of people cannot defeat bills like these. Even though there are
serious legal ramifications and constitutional problems with some of
this legislation, sitting by while others try to make the bill more
reasonable or defeat it as written, is not going to get results.
What needs to be done at this time in the Senate is for every member
of RPOA and everyone they know and everyone they know to call and
personally speak with a representative of their Senator's office, to
personally fax letters opposing the bill as written, and to show up
and testify at the hearing. Additionally, the members of the Criminal
Justice Committee in the Senate need to have personal contact made
with them in a polite and respectful manner pointing out the problems
in the bill we have already discussed during our emails and
correspondence before the House hearing. The focus needs to be on
prevention not punishment. The bill as written is not going to
prevent a single dog bite from occurring and is likely to punish
people who have made reasonable efforts to contain their dogs while
letting people who are irresponsible go simply because there is no
way to track who owns the dogs or who will be punished. If these
steps are not taken by several hundred people and more than 5 or 6
show up to testify at the hearing in the Senate, this bill will pass
the Senate and will be become law in this State.
I want to personally commend all those who showed up, stayed late,
and participated either by registering their opposition or testifying
at the hearing. As for everyone else whose schedules were too busy,
whose time is too valuable, and who might think this law will never
affect them, I am sorely disappointed. This is how bad law is made.
Bad law will punish us and not prevent a single horrific dog attack
by a loose animal from occurring. Two years from now they will scream
for even worse laws when this one fails to stop dog attacks.
Respectfully,
Jeff Shaver
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance 900 NE Loop 410 #311-D San Antonio,
TX 78209 Phone: (210) 822-6763 Fax: (210) 822-9038 Website: www.
responsiblepetowners. org $15 Annual dues (January - December) To
share information, subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail message
to rpoa @ texas.net.
Rosanna Brown
Legislative Committee Chairman
Doberman Pinscher Club of Dallas
dpcdlegislative@ <mailto:dpcdlegislative%40yahoo.com> yahoo.com