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Monday, April 27, 2009

Ind. Law - Even more on: "Farm interests oppose Indiana's puppy mill bill" [Updated]

Updating this ILB entry from earlier today, Bill Ruthhart of the Indianapolis Star just posted this story to his paper's site:

Lawmakers found new areas on which to disagree this afternoon over legislation that would regulate Indiana's commercial dog breeders.

In the second meeting of a joint House-Senate conference committee on House Bill 1468, Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, recommended changes to the legislation that were met with objections from its author, Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond.

Steele proposed inserting provisions into the bill that would change the state's laws for bail bondsman. Democrats have opposed those changes, and Lawson characterized the move as a "poison pill" aimed at killing the stiffer animal-cruelty laws and commerical breeding regulations in HB 1468.

Steele's proposal also would not allow local cities and towns to have their own, stricter breeding laws. Some communities such as Fort Wayne and Bloomington already have their own licensing requirements and regulations for kennels.

Lawson said she also opposed that change.

The conference committee recessed this afternoon without taking action on the bill. A next meeting has not been scheduled yet.

The story speaks for itself . . .

[Updated 4/28/09] Ruthhart reports this morning:

Lawson said she didn't know whether she could agree to a bill that would prevent local communities such as Bloomington and Fort Wayne from enforcing their own ordinances.

"There are communities that have much stronger language than this bill is going to have," she said.

"This is disgraceful. It's bad public policy."

Steele disagreed and said he would not budge on his insistence that breeders be subjected to the same requirements across the state.

"It's a business that can be conducted statewide," he said, "and I think the laws ought to be uniform statewide."

Lawson also objected to a change by Steele that would exempt breeders who raise hunting and law enforcement dogs, calling it "absolutely unreasonable." She said the changes were not about protecting dogs, but about looking out for the interests of breeders.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 27, 2009 06:02 PM
Posted to Indiana Law