MO: no laws regarding the welfare of any domesticated animal including dogs, cats, horses, other pets

MO moves bill forward where no laws regarding the welfare of any domesticated animal including dogs, cats, horses, other pets... Public outcry is needed to stop this bill from passing at the final level.

By Laura Allen

Animal Law Coalition

Update April 1: H.B. 1747 has passed the Missouri House of Representatives.  This bill now moves to the state senate.
The version passed by the House is basically the same as the introduced bill, except for one significant change: If this bill becomes law, "[n]o law criminalizing or otherwise regulating crops or the welfare of any domesticated animals shall be valid unless based upon generally accepted scientific principles and enacted by the general assembly." 
Scary language for animals.

This means there could be no local laws regarding the welfare of any domesticated animal including dogs, cats, horses, other pets and farm animals that differ from state laws. Also, any current animal cruelty or animal welfare law in Missouri would be void unless it was "based upon generally accepted scientific principles and enacted by the general assembly." People charged with animal abuse could raise challenges to the law, claiming it was not based upon "generally accepted scientific principles". Possibly, all laws governing animal cruelty or welfare would simply be void because there was no determination of whether they were based upon "generally accepted scientific principles". Arguably, current regulations governing animal welfare and protection would be void as well for this lack of this determination and also because they are not enacted by the legislature; regulations are issued by state agencies.  

But that is not all this bill does. It was originally introduced to promote horse slaughter and it still does that. Read Animal Law Coalition's report below for more on this bill and what else all of us must do to stop it. 

Missouri state Rep. James Viebrock is the sponsor of H.B. 1747, which basically would also authorize registration and inspections for commercial horse slaughter for human consumption.

The bill proposes that the Missouri Dept. of Agriculture would register commercial horse slaughter operations and certify "that the parts of horses to be processed are fit for human food, and the processing establishment to be operated complies with ... sanitary standards". All registration and inspection fees collected" would "be paid to the director of agriculture and deposited into the state ‘Horse Meat and Product Fund'". Annual inspection fees would be used "to pay for USDA inspection of horse meat products and horse meat processing facilities."

Learn more and take action: Article continues HERE 

AAHS Action Alert:
If you live in Missouri and can help organize a group of constituents, please email us at aahsus@gmail.com.

Thanks for all you do for our American Horses!

American's Against Horse Slaughter

 

Your Help is Needed to defeat Missouri  Legislation H.B.1747!