In The Legislature:
What's Happening in WI

   AB-250 / SB-208 (formerly LRB-2448/2), THE COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDERS LICENSURE BILL

        On 8 April 2009, Representative Jeff Smith and Senator Pat Kreitlow announced their long-awaited joint House / Senate bill to provide for licensing and inspection of breeders and sellers and help to protect dogs by setting standards for their care.

        AB-250 / SB-208 (formerly LRB 2448/2), the Commercial Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, is the culmination of a year's effort by the legislators and a working group comprised of all stake-holders: humane organizations and rescues, hobby breeders, commercial breeders and sellers, DATCP, and veterinarians. This is the bill we have been working so hard to get introduced -- but our work is just beginning.

       The request for co-sponsorship for AB-250, The Commericial Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, closed on April 24, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Many have mentioned the number of calls and emails from constituents urging them to do so! If your representatives are on this list, please email them and thank them. (You can find contact information for your area's representatives by going to: http://www.legis.state.wi.us./ and clicking on the "Who Represents Me?" link in the middle of the page.)

     Many of you are asking how this support compares with past bills. In 2003-2004, the AB536 gained 40 authors and co-sponsors. The CURRENT Smith - Krietlow bill has a total of 71 authors and co-sponsors! Congratulations to everyone who worked to get this great support to AB-250 / SB-208!

     For the complete list of the authors and co-sponsors, please see our Cosponsors list

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

     Does having so many co-sponsors mean we are half way to passing the bill?

     No, it only means that 70 out of 132 members of the legislature (99 Representatives in the Assembly and 33 Senators in the Senate) have "pre-approved" the bill by signing onto it as a co-sponsor or author. We still have a long way to go, and will still need your help to get this bill passed!

      As it moves through the process, it is possible that some who signed on will step away (amendments and other pressures can influence that). Of course, there are those who will support it who have not signed on. Some legislators just don't sign on as co-sponsors to anything as their own personal policy. The bottom line is having a positive acknowledgement of the value of the bill from more than half of all the people who will vote on it is a very good sign. It is rare for a bill to have this many co-sponsors.

     The bill was officially introduced in both the Assembly and the Senate, and has been assigned bill numbers AB-250 and SB-208. It has been assigned to the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection and the Senate Committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection . We are asking our supporters to write or phone all Committee members and ask them to PLEASE favorably pass AB-250 / SB-208 out of the committee without significant amendments. That is important, because some really bad things can be done to good bills via amendments. You can find contact info for the Committees, some suggestions about what to say, and a link to a sample letter, on our Assemby Committee on Consumer Protection and Senate Committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protectionpage.

     All Committees must hold public hearings. We will announce the dates and times of the public hearings before the committees as soon as we get them. When the public hearings are scheduled, we will need people to go to Madison to testify or register "in Favor" of the bills. You cannot register In Favor unless you actually show up for the public hearing. You can fill out a piece of paper to register in Favor even if you do not wish to actually testify before the committee.

     One committee could vote to pass it along to another committee and the process of debate, review and public hearing starts again.

     That is a brief outline of what is to come in the near future. This will be a long process. We will keep everyone informed on this web site and via email alerts as each step must be taken.