Update on Puppy Mill Language in the Budget Process



This week’s formal legislative sessions have ended for the week, but the Budget Conferees are staying in Raleigh and will apparently continue to meet on Friday and possibly over the weekend.



On Thursday afternoon, the House unanimously passed a “mini-budget bill”, passing language to give raises to teachers and state employees, cost of living increase to retirees, fund Medicaid, and others foundational budget items WITHOUT the bad dog language and without most of the provisions contained in the complete Budget. To give you an idea, the “mini-budget bill” was 41 pages long. The complete House Budget Bill is 275 pages long (without charts or index).



The “mini-budget bill” was sent back to the Senate Thursday afternoon. The complete House Budget Bill is sitting in the Senate.



The Senate and House Budget Conferees ARE MEETING NOW. As for us, we need to continue to remind the key decisions makers on the Senate side that we OPPOSE any transfer of the Animal Welfare Section from the NC Dept. of Agriculture to the NC Dept. of Public Safety.



Please contact the following key Senators to politely ask them to protect our rights during this difficult negotiation process. We do not want the Governor to have the power to appoint some animal rights wacko to oversee kennels in NC. There are rumors the Governor wants to appoint a true animal rights activist to direct the Animal Welfare Section if it were to be transferred away from the NC Dept. of Agriculture. We must not allow that to happen!



Do not forward this email. Click on the email address of the Senator and write an individual email to the Senator. If you wish, you may copy and paste the following message or use your own words.



Sen. Harry Brown, Chairman harry.brown@ncleg.net 919-715-3034

Sen. Tom Apodaca tom.apodaca@ncleg.net 919-733-5745

Sen. Phil Berger (Pres. Pro Tem) phil.berger@ncleg.net 919-733-5708

Sen. Andrew C. Brock andrew.brock@ncleg.net 919-715-0690

Sen. Kathy Harrington kathy.harrington@ncleg.net 919-733-5734

Sen. Ralph Hise ralph.hise@ncleg.net 919-733-3460

Sen. Brent Jackson brent.jackson@ncleg.net 919-733-5705

Sen. Wesley Meredith wesley.meredith@ncleg.net 919-733-5776

Sen. Louis Pate louis.pate@ncleg.net 919-733-5621

Sen. Bill Rabon bill.rabon@ncleg.net 919-733-5963

Sen. Shirley B. Randleman shirley.randleman@ncleg.net 919-733-5743

Sen. Bob Rucho bob.rucho@ncleg.net 919-733-5655

Sen. Dan Soucek dan.soucek@ncleg.net 919-733-5742

Sen. Jerry W. Tillman jerry.tillman@ncleg.net 919-733-5870

Sen. Tommy Tucker tommy.tucker@ncleg.net 919-733-7659



I appreciate your hard work and patience in working on the budget process for North Carolina. Thank you for rejecting the inappropriate “Puppy Mill Bill” language added to the House Budget. NC has strong existing animal cruelty laws. New federal pet dealer regulations are being implemented, effective as of November 2013 (APHIS). Thus, the House language is not needed.



Do not overburden law enforcement. Do not squander taxpayers’ money. Do not implement the hugely expensive animal rights agenda which is radical and does not represent the views of the majority of North Carolinians. Thank you for resisting the Governor’s desire to grab control of the Animal Welfare Section. We are concerned the Governor would appoint an animal rights radical to oversee this agency.



Please continue to say “NO” to such a transfer of the Animal Welfare Section away from the Dept. of Agriculture. Let veterinarians administer animal welfare policy within a reasonable budget. You know better than anyone how carefully taxpayer dollars must be allocated.



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It is important these Senators receive many polite phone calls and emails. They have been on our side, and we want to encourage them to stand strong! Voice mail messages are great. These are the people who will make the decision. These Senators have the power to reject the proposed “Puppy Mill Bill” House language. Do not be afraid to leave telephone messages.



Call each Senator’s office and leave a polite message. Of course, if you know any of these Senators, contact them at home over the weekend. Email each Senator. They need to hear from many of us again. Contact anyone you know who knows them. Let your voices be heard. Thank you for your help.



This message is time sensitive: the process continues. Although legislators had talked about going home by the 4th of July, it now looks doubtful. They are working hard complete the budget before they adjourn, so we expect to be here well into the month of July. We need to keep reminding them of our concerns. Thank you so much for helping with this issue!



Call us if you have questions. Best regards, Henri and Joe



Joseph D. McClees, Lobbyist

S. Henri McClees, Attorney at Law

NC Sporting Dog Association, Inc.

PO Box 430

Oriental, NC 28571

www.ncsportingdog.org

Office (252) 249-1097

Fax (252) 249-3275