I’m pretty stunned by this.
Last fall, the voters approved “Proposition B”, a bill that puts stronger regulations on so-called “puppy mills”, breeding facilities that prioritize cranking out large numbers of puppies over the welfare of the animals themselves.
Last week, Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives overturned the will of the voters by passing a bill to reverse the effects of Proposition B.
Here’s a report from the Fox News affiliate in St. Louis.
Based on the comments in that report, it seems the main reason for overturning the law is simply to be contrary to anything or any idea put forth by Democrats/liberals. Other than a complaint that there is no funding in place to enforce the law, the lawmakers who defended their vote seemed to be basically saying, “we won the election so we can do whatever the hell we want.” If funding is an issue, it strikes me that the proper response is to allocate some enforcement resources. They chose to eliminate the law altogether.
I suspect if one were to follow the money on this, you’d find considerable political donations flowing into Republican coffers from puppy mill owners. There really is no other justification for the vote.
According to the ASPCA in Missouri, this bill doesn’t just overturn Proposition B.
Missouri is the number-one puppy-producing state in the county, supplying pet stores from coast to coast with hundreds of thousands of dogs annually, and is notorious for its lax animal-care standards and proliferation of unlicensed breeders. Unless it is vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon, the bill the House just passed (SB 113) will not only supersede the PMCPA — which includes such humane provisions as increased cage size, prohibition on the use of wire flooring and restrictions on breeding frequency — it will make parts of the state’s commercial breeding law even weaker than they are now.
The bill now goes to Democratic Governor Jay Nixon to be signed into law or to be vetoed.
More information on this issue is HERE.
For Missouri residents, there is an action page with contact information for Governor Nixon HERE.
I’m just sayin’…
