Page 1 of 330 The Monthly National Legislation Report 7/5/2010 ...

The Monthly National Legislation Reporthttp://mnlreport.typepad.com/Page 145 of 3307/5/2010Crossville- (8/11/09) - The Crossville Town Council is considering a leash law similar to one previously adopted in Fyffe. The council will have a second reading of the proposed ordinance when it next meetsin regular session on Sept. 2 and vote on whether or not to adopt. The ordinance would require residents who live in the city limits to keep dogs properly restrained either in an enclosure or on a leash. MayorRoger “Dino” Richards said Tuesday he would consider a public hearing on the matter before the vote if enough residents request one, and he also welcomes residents to call town hall to express support oropposition. If passed, the ordinance would essentially require dog owners to ensure that, if a dog is outside, it must be in an enclosure or chained up. It would also make the owner responsible for notifying thepublic if a dog is loose inside an enclosure. Richards said anyone charged with violating the ordinance could be fined up to $500 and face possible jail time. He said the ordinance would also include a provisionto deal with dogs that bark excessively, but said owners would be given an opportunity to address the problem before a fine is levied.ARIZONAThe 2009 legislative session started out slowly in terms of bill advancement, but it ended in a flurry that left even some lawmakers wondering what all they had voted on. When the Legislature adjournedsine die on July 1, lawmakers had sponsored 1,133 bills during the 2009 regular session. A total of 213 made the cut and were passed by the Legislature. And 191 bills were signed into law. Budgetdiscussion delayed work on bills until late in the session, and only six bills had advanced through both chambers of the Legislature as of June 1. But the final month of the session was hurried aslawmakers passed another 207 bills, most of them in the last two weeks. Important laws regarding abortion and gun rights made headlines in the final rush to action. Yet the governor also signed scores ofother bills that will impact Arizona’s future. Here is one of the bills that gathered little, if any, attention:H2458 (Chapter 106) - Dogs and Cats’ Release from PoundsSponsored by Rep. Steve Court, a Republican from Mesa, H2458 sets in place a list of conditions regarding the release of an impounded dog or cat, including sterilization, microchip implantation, or a $50recovery fee. In order for the animal to be released to its owner, one of the conditions must be fulfilled. The law also extends the time that a licensed stray dog or cat must be kept at a pound before beingeuthanized from 72 hours to 120 hours. UPDATE: (8/6/09) - Rodrigo Silva is the Director of Maricopa County Animal Control and Care Services. He said Governor Jan Brewer has signed HB 2458 intolaw which makes some changes to animal shelters. If any animal enters the shelter they will now be neutered, spayed, and micro chipped before returning to their owners or being adopted out to a family.There are exceptions to include paying a $50 fee or showing that=2 0your dog has a current license. Silva said they came to that compromise while working with the American Kennel Club and havingheard from breeders. They do not want to punish responsible pet owners which is why the exceptions exist. What they are trying to do is prevent more animals from being born that are unwanted, uncaredfor and roaming the streets and producing more animals.Avondale – (8/13/09) - Spurred in part by a series of dog-barking complaints from someone who later failed to show up in court, Avondale will now require two residents from different homes to sign apetition. The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a new noise ordinance that goes into effect in about a month. The new law states:• There must be at least two residents who are not related and live in separate homes willing to sign a petition against the owner of the loud animal.• Those who sign the petition must testify in court or the case will be dismissed.• Anonymous complaints will not be prosecuted in court.Residents can still complain anonymously, and police will respond to those complaints. Vice Mayor Ken Weise was concerned about intimidation by neighbors. Parkin said officers do not reveal whocomplained unless the case goes to court. "We have some folks who want justice and they want people to be cited and to go to court, but they don't want to show up in court," Parkin said. "What we're saying isthat every person has the right to face their accuser." The current ordinance states it is illegal to harbor or keep animals that disturb the peace. But police found that wording is too broad and open tointerpretation. Avondale will update its Web site and animal-control brochures to reflect the amended ordinance. The city also will educate police, communications personnel and animal-control officers on thenew ordinance. It is also developing an online petition for complaints.Phoenix – (8/5/09) - Maricopa County Animal Care and Control announced a new law Tuesday which allows for more animals to be spayed and neutered. The law says all animals entering any shelter will bespayed or neutered and implanted with a microchip before being released to their owners. Officials said there are a few exceptions to the new law, including that if there is no veterinary facility capable ofperforming the surgery within a twenty mile radius of the pound, the law does not apply. MCACC said they will absorb the costs of the surgery as part of the free spay and neuter program. The MaricopaCounty Board of Supervisors said they are hopeful the new law will curb irresponsible breeding. The law will go into effect Sept. 30, said officials.ARKANSASForrest City – (8/13/09) - Anyone who has ever been kept up at night by a barking dog knows how frustrating it can be. But while some interest is being shown in some kind of law to deal with the problem, itmay be easier said than done. Forrest City City Council member Steve Hollowell said he has received some complaints, and said just because something is easier said than done, that doesn’t make it impossible.“I hope we can do it,” said Hollowell recently, adding that he has copies of ordinances from other towns. “We need to do something about it because there are some problems. And we’re going to try, if we can,to find something that will work for us.” Mayor Gordon McCoy said it may be difficult to adopt an ordinance on barking dogs.Springdale – (8/12/09) - One local city is considering whether to go pit bull-free in an effort to crack down on dangerous dogs. Springdale wants to put more bite into its vicious animal laws. The city alreadyhas an ordinance that allows for animals to be removed or euthanized, but that can only happen after an attack. The new proposals call for prevention, tightening the leash before a dog becomes dangerous."Over half of the bites reported over the last 2 years have been by pit bulls. That can be a little misleading, but still that's a pretty hefty number," said Doug Sprouse, the mayor of Springdale. That's why one ofthe two options being discussed is a city-wide ban on pit bulls. But Brett Harris, the Animal Services Manager for Springdale, isn't sure that's the right choice. That leads to the second option, which wouldn'tban any specific breed of dogs, but would force the owner of any potentially dangerous breed to register with the city. Harris said he's considering a ban as well. But either way, his goal is to prevent bitesbefore they happen. The city is still researching all of its options and looking for public input. But the discussion at last night's city council ordinance committee meeting showed that most members of the citygovernment are leaning toward tightening restrictions, and not an all-out ban of any breed. If Springdale puts a pit bull ban in place, it would not apply to pit bulls already within the city.CALIFORNIAAN IMPORTANT ALERT FROM THE CONCERNED DOG OWNERS OF CALIFORNIA – PLEASE PARTICIPATE !!TO MY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ASSOCIATESI am asking that you take five minutes to help me save lives of dogs in California and to protect your right and my right to be a responsible dog owner in California.I am asking you to go to this web page just below and generate a letter opposing SB250. You don't need to know who your Assembly Member is, that will be checked for you. Your letter will be faxed to yourAssembly Member and the members of the Appropriations Committee if the bill is still in Appropriations when we get your letter. And you can send one letter from each registered voter in your household.We only have a few days to stop this legislation. This is important. The people supporting this bill have millions of dollars and has made thousands of dollars of contributions to Senators Florez and Steinbergto get this passed. We only have you.Thank you.P. S. If you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account, please add this link and ask people in California to send letters.CLICK HERE: SEND A LETTER AND SAVE DOGSSB250 - Some Information about the bill and what it will doSB250 is a bill introduced by Senator Florez, who is running for Lt. Governor, and is in the California Assembly. For detailed information you can go here.Here is a snapshot of what the bill would do:If your dog gets loose one time, you are deemed irresponsible and you must sterilize that dog and every other intact dog you own. You can never own an unsterilized dog again. That means you can never getanother puppy except from the shelter.If you have a licensed dog is at the park and on leash but without a tag, you are deemed irresponsible - it is considered in violation. So that dog must be sterilized and all your other dogs must be sterilized andyou can never own an intact dog again.