2023 General Assembly: Two emails you should send today on behalf of animals
Virginia’s General Assembly has been in session since January 11, and yesterday, on February 1, we saw the first two pieces of legislation related to animal protection reported out of committees. One bill, in the Senate, aims to improve prospects for people with pets who need affordable housing (which we support); the other, in the house, would reduce protections for animals exhibited in roadside zoos when they need it most (which we oppose).
SB 1384, Patron: Senator Jennifer McClellan (support)
Senator McClellan’s bill directs public housing authorities (PHAs) to adopt pet-inclusive policies free from breed or weight restrictions. While public housing in Virginia permits pets as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), many of the rules that have been adopted by local PHAs are not based in reason and instead have arbitrary limits on a pet’s weight and prohibit extensive categories of dogs because of their breed – or when their breed is unknown, based on physical traits and assumptions.
Having these restrictions doesn’t keep people or properties safer, but it does disproportionately affect people with limited choices in housing. No one should be forced to decide between remaining unhoused or the heartbreak of relinquishing a beloved pet.
The Senate General Laws Committee adopted a substitute for SB 1384 that expands the “reasonable conditions” PHAs may set for tenants to keep pets. The bill requires pet policies to be breed- and weight-neutral while allowing policies against creating a nuisance, threat or unsanitary conditions as well as leash, liability insurance and other requirements. These are far more effective approaches to community safety.
What’s next for SB 1384?
The full Senate will vote on SB 1384 as early as Monday, February 6. This is the time to ask your Senator to VOTE YES on pet-inclusive affordable housing. Find who represents you and how to contact them.
HB 2331, Patron: Delegate Ellen Campbell (oppose)
This bill is the latest in a series of efforts that started in 2020 to dilute the state’s protections for animals kept at zoos. It was introduced in response to successful prosecution of a zoo proprietor who pled guilty to 27 counts of cruelty. Allies of that zoo owner want to reduce protections for exotic animals kept at zoos by grouping them with agricultural animals (for whom the code provides laxer standards) for the purpose of seizure by law enforcement.
This puts obstacles in the way of the very officers who we rely on to intervene when animals are suffering. Impounding animals requires a substantial burden of proof. This bill adds the step of seeking a recommendation from the State Veterinarian’s office; however, the agency has stated that it has expertise in neither zoological medicine nor associated regulations.
Before executing the 2019 seizure at Wilson’s Wild Animal Park that was the precursor of this bill, officers secured a court-approved warrant. At the hearing in Frederick County General District Court that followed, the owner was represented by counsel and given due process before the judge ruled that Keith Wilson had cruelly treated his animals and ordered him to forfeit all 119. This is a case to be celebrated as a victory for Virginia’s animal protection laws – though it sadly came only after prolonged misery had been ignored by the USDA – not a reason to rewrite them.
What’s next for HB 2331?
The bill is headed to the House after a divided vote of 12-Y, 10-N from the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. Please urge your delegate to VOTE NO when the House votes, likely on Monday. Find who represents you and how to contact them.
Making the most of your outreach
Your polite message expressing support or opposition to a bill can be succinct. In fact, it should take you less time than you’ve already spent reading this blog. With thanks gmrva.com‘s Ross Catrow whose “Top Three Tips for Lazy But Effective Email Public Comments” is great inspiration for all who harbor the conflicting desires to be civically engaged and low-effort:
- Establish yourself as a constituent. Start your email (or phone call) by declaring that you reside in the district. Provide the address at which you’re registered to vote. Those are your bonafide credentials as a serious voter.
- Get to the point. Reference what you support or oppose, using both the bill number and (because four-digit labels for bills all blur together) a shorthand for what the bill does, along with what you are asking.
Example 1: “I am writing in support of SB 1384, the pet-inclusive housing bill, to ask that you vote yes.”
Example 2: “I’m calling to oppose HB 2331, the zoo animal seizure bill, to ask that you vote no.”
Following with a dispassionate sentence or two is enough to back up your request. If you have a relevant personal anecdote, expertise or experience, there are occasions when these can be moving, but they also take time and skill to write, and your position will be noted even if you have neither. - Make your subject line easy to sort. This year is a short session and legislative staff are logging messages for hundreds of bills. Clear subject lines help them do their jobs. “Please vote no on [insert bill number].”
Tabitha Treloar joined the Richmond SPCA in 2005 as an admissions counselor and has been our director of communications since 2010. She and her husband live in Richmond with four Richmond SPCA alumni – two cats and two dogs.
