Hope you will read Bobbi Yeos column that will also appear in the OA news today. You will learn a little more about this legislation that we need so desperately to pass in order to fight animal overpopulation and end or at least lessen un-necessary euthanasia. Its also a tax issue and a community health issue. Sunday Column – 1.19.14 It’s Here! The 2014 Regular Session of the Alabama State Legislature convened on Tuesday, January 14. Our legislators began the session with 265 bills to be considered between the Senate and the House. The legislative session runs for a total of 105 calendar days. Within this period there are no more than 30 legislative days permitted. Legislators may continue to introduce new bills up until the last 5 legislative days. On the last day of the 2013 session I sat in the Senate gallery where I could watch a bill be presented that would dramatically expand access to low cost spay/neuter clinics. It was a disappointing experience to say the least. Much of the last day was spent in a filibuster with the remainder being a demonstration in speed voting. At the end of the day, the bill I waited for all session never even got a vote. This was despite what seemed like sincere promises from Senate Pro Tem, Del Marsh. I actually believe he was sincere but don’t understand why this bill wasn’t brought up at all. I hear this is the nature of politics. It seems that one senator can stop a bill from getting to the floor. This year State Rep. Patricia Todd, of Birmingham, pre-filed HB141 which would amend the Veterinary Practice Act, allowing nonprofits to employ veterinarians for the purpose of providing spay/neuter surgery services to the public. It is a very simple common sense bill. It is the same bill that was presented in 2012 and 2013. In both years Todd’s bill passed the House without any problems. It is supported by Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, who also co-sponsored this legislation in 2013. The bill has widespread support among the general population and it was expected to have passed in the Senate if it had been presented for a vote. The only organized effort to oppose the bill is the Alabama Veterinary Practice Owners Association (AVPOA). This special interest group formed after the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association (ALVMA) publically endorsed Todd’s bill. This group contributes generously to Senator Bussman of Cullman who sponsored competing legislation last year that would have severely curtailed the efforts of the few low-cost spay neuter clinics currently in operation. Some say his bill would have effectively shut them down for good. The senseless euthanasia of hundreds of thousands of companion animals in Alabama every year is a direct result of pet overpopulation. Why on earth would any veterinarian oppose spay/neuter legislation which would have a direct and nearly immediate impact on this dreadful problem? The answer, I’m afraid, is that some in this revered profession see the legislation as a threat to their economic security. I’m sure that nearly every one of us can relate to this. But the fear this group has expressed is illogical. The vast majority of citizens who use low-cost spay/neuter clinics have never taken their pets to a veterinary clinic for any reason. This is not a market segment that will be lost by our hard working veterinarians. In fact, studies show that these are clients who could be gained by for-profit veterinary clinics once they make that initial effort to get their pet spayed or neutered. The ALVMA endorsed Todd’s bill because it is in the public interest. It is the only realistic possibility for reducing feral populations of both cats and dogs. Reduced populations will reduce the threat of rabies in domestic animals which has become all too familiar to Lee County residents in the recent past. It will reduce intakes of strays in local animal control facilities thereby allowing taxpayer funds to be redirected to higher level pursuits than the holding and euthanizing of the excess pet population. As state Rep. Patricia Todd stated last week, this is, “a bill that’s a no-brainer.” Weekly Wish: The Hudson Family Foundation Benefit Weekend is coming up January 23 and 24. Buy your tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy and Rascal Flatts at Lee County Humane Society and benefit two great organizations! Time is running short, don’t delay.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 13:30:00 +0000
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