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SB127 Indemnity Bill Gets "Do Pass"
in Senate Conservation Committee
SB127 now will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We urge you to call senators on the committee to support SB127, if you live in their district.
Senate Judiciary Committee Members:
Please contact the legislators listed above, ONLY if you live in their districts. If your legislator is not listed in this committee, you may still ask your legislator to support SB127 when it reaches a floor vote.
A short summary of what SB127 provides is presented here:
Animal Indemnities
The Problem: Seizure of animals in some animal cruelty cases is being hampered by the current wording of the cruelty statute, resulting in a lack of remedy for involved agencies. Given recent increases in reporting and investigation of cruelty, agencies often cannot afford to pay for seized animals' care, making it financially impossible for them to remove animals from bad situations. Seized animals sometimes occupy kennel or shelter space for months, or even years, at a time.
The Solution: Initiative of the Attorney General's Animal Cruelty Task Force and Animal Protection Voters seeks to pass a law that requires those charged with animal cruelty to pay for the care of their animals if they are seized into protective custody. This will provide a system that allows law enforcement officials to always seize animals who are being starved or mistreated. Requiring owners to post a security deposit for animal care is not a punitive measure, but rather represents the normal cost of properly caring for animals.
Senate Bill 127 would place the financial responsibility for animals seized for their own protection on the owners themselves.
Read APV's fact sheet (pdf) on this legislation.
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House Poised to Vote on HB159 Cruelty Bill —
Supporters Urged to Contact Representatives
The Animal Cruelty Bill, House Bill 159, sponsored by Rep. Al Park, may reach the House floor as early as Thursday, Feb. 12, for a 10 a.m. vote that would send the bill to the Senate, if passed.
You can help pass this important legislation by phoning your legislator in the New Mexico House of Representatives, and urging him or her to vote in favor of HB159. Then stay tuned for our updates on what Senate committees will hear this bill. We would appreciate your support again when it's time to contact your Senators on behalf of the Cruelty Bill.
Look up your representative's phone contact information here:
http://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/legislatorsearch.aspx
Thank you!
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Link between Human & Animal Abuse
in Domestic Violence Cases
Addressed by Albuquerque Journal & AG
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The cover story of the popular "Fetch!" section of the Albuquerque Journal recently addressed the connection between family violence and animal abuse in the home in "To Protect & Save: Pets, often caught in domestic violence situations, need someone to rescue them." An abuser often will use the victim's feelings for a family's animal against her, or him, and often follows through with doing something most people would consider unthinkable to an animal helplessly caught in a crossfire.
For the article, Fetch! Editor Isabel Sanchez interviewed APNM Cruelty Complaints Administrator Sherry Mangold, who also manages APNM's CARE network (Companion Animal Rescue Effort), about the help available to domestic violence victims who have animals. CARE is a resource for helping abuse victims get their animals to a safe shelter as they prepare to save themselves. Most domestic violence shelters for women and children do not accept animals. The CARE network consists of numerous temporary safe havens for animals of domestic violence victims.
In the current legislative session, New Mexico Attorney General Gary King is pushing for amendments to the Family Violence Act through House Bill 434. Sponsored by Rep. Rhonda King, HB434 will ensure that animals can be included in temporary Domestic Protection Orders. Passing this legislation will help victims of domestic violence who leave, or are escorted from, their homes to seek safe shelter, by mandating that law enforcement or animal control officers remove companion animals from the home at the same time for their protection. The animals will be moved to a safe shelter and cared for until the victim is able to reclaim the animals, or determine where they should be placed.
Read the full Albuquerque Journal article, "TO PROTECT & SAVE...."
(Posted with permission of the Albuquerque Publishing Company)
Read the text of HB434, DOMESTIC ABUSE PROTECTION ORDER ENFORCEMENT.
http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/09%20Regular/bills/house/HB0434.pdf
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