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Information from Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
OPPOSE:
Texas SB 1528
which allows a "magistrate"
to issue a search warrant (making the
seizure ofan animal much easier than
existing law) and severely impacts the
appealprocess in the courts for animal
owners.
HB
1119 is an "animal rights"
bill and was ramrodded through the Housebefore
we could study it and get an alert out
to you. It now goes to theSenate as
SB 1528 and must be stopped. If the
Senate bill moves as fast asthe House
bill did, time is of the essence. Animal
rights extremists areworking very hard
to get this legislation passed. Do you
wonder why?
SB
1528 has the potential to cause great
harm to animal owners. FormerPresident
Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "You
do not examine legislation inlight of
the benefits it will convey if properly
administered, but in lightof the wrongs
it would do and the harms it would cause
if improperly administered."
HB
1119 (SB 1528) amends Section 821.022
- 821.025, Health and Safety Code,Seizure
of Cruelly Treated Animal. HB 1119 has
already passed in the Houseand gone
to the Senate Committee on Health &
Human Services. The bill wason a greased
track and left us little time to organize
opposition. Pleasecontact the committee
members below and express your opposition
to thislegislation which is now being
proposed in the Senate.
The
word "animal" is used extensively
throughout the bill with no exceptions.
Subchapter
A. TREATMENT OF ANIMALS, Section 821.001
defines "Animal" as:includes
every living dumb creature. We have
all had an elderly animal atone time
or another that the public would think
was being mistreated just tolook at
it.
Three
years ago, an 82-year-old Hispanic senior
citizen named Andrea Martinez was convicted
of animal cruelty in Bexar County because
her elderly dog had mange. She couldn't
drive to get to a veterinarian and her
homeremedies didn't work. Mrs. Martinez
was arrested and charged with animalcruelty
and found guilty.
SB 1528 does away with due process by
denying the right of appeal to mostanimal
owners found guilty of animal cruelty
by saying:
-
The decision of the county court or
county court at law may not befurther
appealed.
-
An owner found guilty of animal cruelty
may not appeal an order:
-
to give the animal to a nonprofit
animal shelter, pound, or society
for the protection of animals;
or
-
to humanely destroy the animal.
-
An owner of an animal ordered sold
at public auction may appeal but mustfile
an appeal bond in an amount to be
adequate to cover the estimated expenses
incurred in housing and caring for
the impounded animal during theappeal
process. This discriminates against
elderly and low income pet owners.Animal
rescue organizations in Texas could
be severely impacted as theanimals
that come into their programs are
usually terribly undernourished and
sometimes have been cruelly treated
prior to entering their program. Who
is to know when these conditions occurred?
Existing
laws have worked well.
Please
call, fax, mail and e-mail the members
of the Committee on Health & Human
Services listed below and express your
opposition to SB 1528.
The
bill's text can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us.
Search under Senate - Bill number and
type in bill number.
Address
for all:
PO
Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Chair:
Senator Jane Nelson
Phone: 512-463-0112
Fax: 512-463-0923
E-mail: jane.nelson@senate.state.tx.us
Vice-Chair:
Senator Kyle Janek
Phone: 512-463-0117
Fax: 512-463-0639
E-mail: kyle.janek@senate.state.tx.us
Members:
Senator John Carona
Phone: 512-463-0116
Fax: 512-463-3135
E-mail: john.carona@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Bob Deuell
Phone: 512-463-0102
Fax: 512-463-7202
E-mail: bob.deuell@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Mario Gallegos, Jr.
Phone: 512-463-0106
Fax: 512-463-0346
E-mail: mario.gallegos@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Jon Lindsay
Phone: 512-463-0107
Fax: 512-463-8810
E-mail: lauren.donder@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Bill Ratliff
Phone: 512-463-0101
Fax: 512-475-3751
E-mail: vatra.soomon@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Royce West
Phone: 512-463-0123
Fax: 512-463-0299
E-mail: royce.west@senate.state.tx.us
Senator
Judith Zaffirini
Phone: 512-463-0121
Fax: 512-475-3738
E-mail: judith.zaffirini@senate.state.tx.us
Responsible
Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #205-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 738-2273; rpoa@texas.net;
http://responsiblepetowners.org
$10 Annual Dues (Jan - Dec)Our membership
stays informed regarding all animal
issues with an e-mail list and quarterly
newsletter!
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