Written by Laura Allen of the Animal Law Coalition
The Public’s Voice will be Silenced by this Bill
REP. JAMES VIEBROCK BURIED HIS PRO-HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL in S.B. 795 which means there is unlikely to be a public hearing on the bill in the Senate. He now does not have to answer to the public for his bill promoting horse slaughter.
S.B. 795 is also anti-rescue, repealing the exemption for animal shelters from state licensing fees and also barring the state Dept. of Agriculture from relying on animal welfare non-profits for assistance with inspections or licensing of shelters, pounds, kennels, breeders, and pet shops.
S.B. 795 creates an 18 member Animal Care Advisory Committee required to review the animal care practices related to farm animals, equines, and licensed dog breeding facilities and make recommendations to the general assembly. The committee is required to review national species specific animal care guidelines once every five years.
This provision is formerly H.B. 2291 and similar to a number of such Committees or Boards established in other states as a way for agri-business to control regulation of farm animal care and treatment. In this case, the Committee would have great influence on laws related to farm animal care and treatment as well as dog breeding. The bill is clear the job of the Committee is to uphold “generally accepted” farm and veterinary practices and consider the economic effect of any recommendations.
The devil is in the makeup of the Committee – Director of the Dept. of Agriculture, Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, State Veterinarian and chairs of the Animal Sciences Divisions and University of Mo and Mo State University, a food animal veterinarian, and 11 representatives from agri-business and dog breeder organizations.
Not one representative from the animal welfare or rescue community. Not even a member of the public who own horses or dogs. Not one small or family farmer.
TAKE ACTION
Tell Missouri state representatives and senators to vote NO on S.B. 795; that there should be a separate bill for each issue.
Tell them you want them to vote no to horse slaughter and the Agriculture Animal Care Advisory Committee.
Bills should not contain so many differing provisions that force legislators to vote for things no one would or should want like horse slaughter or concession of legislative power to a committee made up of agri-business and breeders.
By combining all these provisions into one bill, special interests are taking away the people’s right to govern through their legislators and subverting the legislative process.
It is better to vote NO to all of these provisions than let this happen.
Please telephone or fax. The vote could take place as early as Monday, May 3, 2010.
- If you live in Missouri, to identify your legislators, you will need your full zip code. Find it here and make a note of it.
Missourians, now you have your Zip + 4 code:
- Find all of your Missouri state legislators here.
- Find Missouri House leaders here.
- Find Missouri representatives here.
- Find Missouri Senate leaders here.
- Find Missouri Senators here.
Source: Animal Law Coalition, see more here >>
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I sent contacts to them. AWI had us contacting the representatives of which I received one personal response from Rep Jim Guest “I will vote yes”. a few auto responses. Kinship Circle sent word around that the Missouri reps were once again forwarding anything with “horse” “slaughter” or even “animal” to her personal email so they are not even getting them. Juvenile little cowards. Faxes and calls are definitely the way to go.
LikeLike
Morgan:
Ain’t that the God awwefullll truth about the “COWARDS” NOT reading or considering their constituents’s concerns and opposition to these bills.
Just exactly who in the HELL do they think they have to answer to! Because it sure ain’t us.
I wonder if these idiots and unethical subhumans understand how much human, gun and drug trafficking is involved in this little gem of an industry called HCHS?!? Not to mention the issue of reasonable food safety for consumers. Good Gravy!!!! What a selfish, disgusting group of people….a disgrace to our species.
LikeLike
I have just one question for protrolls like Viebrock:
If this is just a great cause, why do these creeps have to keep hiding these bills into other legislation or sole-source it to ag heavy, special interest committees OR orchestrate covert procedural trickery to move their agenda forward??????? Why is paid to slaughter for human consumption never seen in the full light of day and with full transparency??????
I know why…..because it’s a cruel, sloppy, nasty, ugly, irresponsible business.
LikeLike
Great point Denise–just why do they have to operate in the dark? Why is their argument is so “right” do they have to only send it to the committees that they know will pass it on no questions asked? If their position is so defensible why don’t they stand up and state out loud what they believe like we do? Our positions are pretty clear and VERY defensible with science and morality and common sense. We don’t have to hide in the dark or cover my mirrors.
LikeLike
Yup its all about $$$
LikeLike
Once again, special interests rule and the public has no say in the very laws that they are forced to obey. Are Missouri legislators dumping emails from their own constituents? You can’t even mention “animals”? How have the shelters responded?
And that committee is stacked just like the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board. Their “Humane Advocate(?)” position hasn’t been filled since I started checking the membership.
LikeLike
This is the page from Kinship Circle. It was apparently hacked and unavailable for a time, but has since been restored – who knows for how long. What happened to them should be illegal. I hope someone is recording those harassing phone calls & caller IDs.
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1894&seriesfirst=true
LikeLike
If I lived in Missouri, every one of these scumbags would be OUT. This law is not JUST about horses – it promises to take protection away from all domestic animals in the state. I know these guys are childish and petty to the max, but STILL.
NO decent person could vote for this bill, period.
LikeLike
This “man”,Viebrock, deserves to die, in the SAME manner he’s proposing for MO.’s horses to suffer!! He is a scumbag, & a parasite who NEEDS to be stepped on & squashed! Better yet, let’s hang him upside down, & slit him open, & start butchering him while he’s still alive!! I’m SORRY for sounding so violent, but I HATE people like that!!
LikeLike
Valerie:
Please. Stupid doesn’t equate death.
In fact, I don’t support the death penalty for a few reasons (mostly because …maybe the defendent got a bad lawyer or jury or judge or is innocent and we got history of deathrow guys that were innocent and were executed). I’m from the old New Testement School that says….”two wrongs, don’t make a right.”
If one protests inhumane death, you can’t invoke it when you get angry at nasty, sick humans.
Beside that, this is about ethics and morality. These animals deserve better…nasty humans and all.
LikeLike
Denise: I hope you’re not implying that I’m stupid?? Did you notice the word “SORRY” in my comment?? I happen to be a VERY devout Christian, &, I am also against the “death penalty”. I know & trust that people can be forgiven for their sins, IF they are sorry, & are repentant. This man is NOT, &, someone has to be a voice for those who have none. And, yes, the more people I know, the better I like animals!! And, yes, this IS about ethics, morality, compassion, empathy, mercy, kindness, &, humane treatment of ALL animals. I do NOT have to hide the fact that I AM only human,&, I hate that “nasty,sick human”!!
LikeLike
The Burns Amendment all over again.
LikeLike