Doug Johnson
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Lawrenceburg, Ky
Posts: 419 |
Kentuckians, please read and make the call today!
opposition to HB 195 and Hb 235
1-800-372-7181
Please call the Chairman of the house judiciary commitee, this is automated system to leave a message, (I got a live person when I called last night) simply state that you oppose the two bills by number mentioned below House Bills 195 and 235, share this with 5 people and ask them to share with 5 and so on. If one of the members of this commitee is your representative, leave them the same message. We need a large response to put these bills to rest in the commitee.
Shawn Johnson
Secretary - Kentucky Houndsmen Association
khasecretary50@aol.com
859-274-6278
Please take a few minutes and call the legislative number 1-800-372-7181 to voice your opposition to the captioned bills which are supposedly posted to committee tomorrow.
Also if any of the Judiciary Committee members are your representative as well, leave a message for them as well as for the whole judiciary committee. The members are:
Rep. John Tilley [Chair]
Rep. Joseph M. Fischer [Vice Chair]
Rep. Darryl T. Owens [Vice Chair]
Rep. Ryan Quarles [Vice Chair]
Rep. Brent Yonts [Vice Chair]
Rep. Johnny Bell
Rep. Robert Benvenuti III
Rep. Jesse Crenshaw
Rep. Kelly Flood
Rep. Jeff Hoover
Rep. Joni L. Jenkins
Rep. Thomas Kerr
Rep. Stan Lee
Rep. Mary Lou Marzian
Rep. Reginald Meeks
Rep. Tom Riner
Rep. Steven Rudy
Rep. Kevin Sinnette
Rep. Gerald Watkins
The two bills are as follows:
HB 195 is cast as a
bill providing for emergency protective orders in the case of domestic violence. Although perhaps just poorly drafted the
bill provides that the court will also "direct the care, custody, or control of any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept of held as a pet and
not as livestock by either party or by a minor child residing in the household." While some other jurisdictions extend protective orders to pets,
potentially operates as a way to potentially sever the family pet and have it cared for by others when unnecessary. By way of example, sometimes
protective orders are issued to keep the family in the home and prevent the perpetrator from coming near the home. Why does the pet need to be
potentially removed without any guarantee that the animal will be returned. Also, in Boone County, Director Reiter has a voluntary program that
allows for people going to the human shelter to let Boone County take care of their animals with
the caveat that as soon as they leave the shelter,
the animals are returned. We know that domestic violence victims often do not leave for fear of harm to pets. If those victims feel that they might
loose their pets- it may serve to discourage leaving. Please ask them to vote no on HB195.
HB 235 is the same bill sponsored by Ron Crimm as we have seen over the past three years. This provision requires the surrender of animals when a person
is convicted of, pleads guilty to, or enters an Alford plea of cruelty to animals in the first degree. Arguably, the Alford plea language may
violate Judge Simpson's finding in the first Louisville Federal case and thus create an unconstitutional infirmity. While this may appear helpful, it
absolutely ties the judge's hands with mandatory 2 year prohibition and the same species language. This law would prohibit judicial discretion based upon
the facts and circumstances of each
case. By way of example, under this law the man in Louisville who cut up all those cats would be prohibited from owning cats for
two years but could get a dog the next day. Please ask the members of the Judiciary committee to vote "No" on HB 235.
__________________
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Est. 1980
Mobile 502-680-6412
Kentucky Houndsmen Assc. Inc.
kyhoundsmen.com
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02-19-2013 01:10 PM
